LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Japan Tobacco International

Peter Hain: To ask the Leader of the House whether any (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers of his Office have received hospitality from Japan Tobacco International since May 2010.

George Young: Information about hospitality received by Ministers and special advisers is published quarterly by Departments. Information for the period 13 May 2010 to 30 June 2011 can be accessed on departmental websites. Information for 1 July onwards will be published in due course on the Cabinet Office website at
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations
	and
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-permanent-secretaries%E2%80%99-meetings-external-organisations

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what estimate the Electoral Commission has made of the number of people not registered to vote in (a) 2010 and (b) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it estimates that at least 6 million people were not registered on Great Britain's December 2010 electoral registers.
	The most recent estimate of the number of people not registered in Great Britain is 8.5 million, which is based on the April 2011 electoral registers.
	These estimates are set out in the Commission's December 2011 report, ‘Great Britain's electoral registers 2011’, available in the House of Commons Library or at:
	www.electoralcommission.org.uk

NORTHERN IRELAND

Food Procurement

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on food purchased through its food and catering services in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Owen Paterson: From December 2010 to November 2011, my Department has spent £125,648 on food purchased by its food and catering service.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency: Wales

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason her Department has not undertaken a (a) public consultation and (b) impact assessment on the proposed closure of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency regional laboratories in Wales.

James Paice: No AHVLA sites will be closed.
	The rationale was based on value for money. No impact assessment or wider consultation took place as this was an internal AHVLA review of operational delivery services which does not require policy or regulatory change. The proposal does not significantly change the nature of service delivery but does contribute to the need to generate the £2.4 million of associated savings as soon as possible.

Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency: Wales

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account she took of the density of animal stock in Wales in taking the decision to close the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency regional laboratories in Wales.

James Paice: No AHVLA Laboratory sites will be closed in Wales as a result of the rationalisation of laboratory services.
	The decision to cease the delivery of laboratory services at the Welsh delivery sites was taken on the basis that fewer than 2% of tests for England and Wales were carried out in these laboratories and it was important to ensure that the national laboratory network was as well set up as possible to deliver high quality services in a value for money way all over England and Wales. Criteria that were taken into account included:
	the need to retain the necessary capabilities within the workforce across the network, in particular specialist scientific and technical skills;
	the need to retain sufficient staff capacity nationally to deliver the volumes of work required;
	consideration of the facilities required to maintain services required, e.g. specialist laboratory infrastructure;
	the need to reduce the number of sites at which the department operates in order to increase efficiency and reduce management and other overheads (equipment replacement and maintenance, quality and health and safety audits etc);
	the need to retain resilience of service delivery, e.g. Containment Level 3 (CL3) laboratory capacity.
	Because laboratory testing can be carried out at any site, and does not require to be carried out at the same site as post mortem activity, density of animal stock is not a significant consideration in deciding on the sites of laboratories.

Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency: Wales

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to ensure that laboratory testing will be completed in 24 hours following the closure of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency regional laboratories in Wales.

James Paice: Laboratory testing has never been guaranteed to be completed within 24 hours. The AHVLA publishes approximate turnaround times on its website. These are given in working days and are for guidance only. Although very dependent on the test in question, the minimum published turnaround time is two working days but for the majority of tests it is greater than this. These turnaround times will not change.
	Following the rationalisation of the Laboratory Services department, AHVLA will still retain capacity at the site of the post-mortem examination to carry out tests that are considered to be essential by our veterinary experts, e.g. for anthrax and TB, and these will be reported urgently.
	At present no AHVLA laboratory operates on weekends or bank holidays. This will actually improve as a result of the rationalisation to allow weekend working to improve turnaround times for samples received over this period.

Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency: Wales

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to ensure that samples taken for laboratory testing do not deteriorate over time and adversely affect results following the closure of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency regional laboratories in Wales.

James Paice: Samples taken for laboratory testing have always relied on remote laboratory testing arising from post mortems, with no perceived impact on test quality. Studies are now being undertaken to ensure this continues to be the case when the changes are implemented across the wider network. Initial findings indicate that there is no deterioration, but work continues on this and mitigations put in place to limit any possible negative impact.
	AHVLA laboratories are accredited under ISO 17025 and there is a very strong protocol in place to ensure test quality is safeguarded.

Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency: Wales

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason her Department did not inform the Wales Office of its decision to close the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency regional laboratories in Wales.

James Paice: Animal Health and Welfare is a devolved matter in Wales and as such the Wales Office was not informed of the decision to de-couple laboratory services from surveillance and post-mortem testing at both sites in Wales.
	The Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) for Wales was briefed on the decision and formally written to, as is protocol in these cases. I would have informed Welsh Assembly Ministers if required. In this instance the CVO for Wales did not inform Welsh Ministers as the decision was regarded as an operational matter for AHVLA.

Slaughterhouses

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with animal welfare organisations on breaches of the law in slaughterhouses; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: I met representatives of the slaughter industry, the British Veterinary Association, the Humane Slaughter Association, the Veterinary Public Health Association and the Food Standards Agency to discuss welfare in slaughterhouses earlier this year. We have arranged a follow up meeting with industry representation to address ongoing concerns about poor welfare standards in some slaughterhouses and how we can work together to address this issue.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of bovine tuberculosis have been recorded in each month since the introduction of the Sam computer system.

James Paice: The implementation of Sam release 6, which captures TB data, was at the end of September 2011. The latest TB statistics available are to the end of August 2011 and are published on DEFRA's website:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/foodfarm/landuselivestock/cattletb/
	As soon as it is available, information for September and October 2011 will also be published on DEFRA's website.

Cattle: Animal Welfare

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many trained inspectors able to investigate allegations of acts of cruelty to cattle, and cattle being kept in conditions which neglect their welfare, there were in each region of England and Wales in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12 to date; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: Currently, there are 240 veterinary officers and veterinary inspectors who are appointed under the relevant legislation.
	This figure relates only to veterinary staff who would investigate any allegations of acts of cruelty to cattle and cattle being kept in conditions which neglect their welfare.
	There are no figures for previous years or months as the Identity Card database is only there to inform who currently holds an ID card. When staff leave, they are deleted from the database.
	However, it should be noted that the number of staff currently appointed under the relevant legislation is far greater than 240 and includes animal health officers, dairy hygiene inspectors, RSPCA and local authority staff etc. While these officers may be aware of cases of cruelty and neglect, they themselves would not investigate such cases; instead, they would pass them on to the veterinary officers and veterinary inspectors to action.

Cattle: Transport

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the new Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency cattle movement computer system to be fully functional.

James Paice: Significant improvements are being made to the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency IT system, called Sam, every week. It is expected that the system will be functioning normally by mid-December.

Dangerous Dogs

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the merits of bringing forward proposals to amend the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to hold a dog owner criminally responsible where a dog is found to be dangerously out of control in any place.

James Paice: My noble Friend Lord Taylor, who leads on the subject of dangerous dogs in DEFRA, has been working alongside Lord Henley to see how the proposed antisocial measures currently being developed in the Home Office can be best applied to such behaviour relating to dogs. DEFRA has also been developing proposals on reducing dog attacks and promoting more responsible dog ownership. This is now at an advanced stage and we expect to be able to make an announcement early in the new year.

Food Procurement

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps (a) her Department and (b) public bodies for which she is responsible are taking to ensure that they meet the Government's buying standards for food and catering.

James Paice: The Government Buying Standards for Food provide for the first time minimum standards for food and catering services across central Government. They were not yet published at the time of the competition for DEFRA's catering contract. However, it was made clear in the tendering specification that when established and as amended from time to time, the successful caterer will be required to comply with the Government buying standards. The current contract and therefore this condition applies to the whole of the DEFRA estate and we are determined to ensure that they are met in full.
	In addition officials are taking action to encourage these standards to be adopted as a minimum across the public sector and this will include all agencies and arm’s length bodies with which DEFRA is engaged. Performance reporting will include all aspects of both mandatory and best practice elements of the standards.

Departmental Travel

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has spent on first class travel by (a) air, (b) boat and (c) train since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: The following table shows payments for first class travel (excluding upgrades) for the period since May 2010 and the same preceding period May 2009/
	
		
			 Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs—core DEFRA only 
			 £ 
			  May 2009 to September 2010 May 2010 to September 2011 
			 Air 17,708 3,467 
			 Rail 747,091 100,656 
		
	
	We have no record of any first class boat travel.

Detergents: Environment Protection

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department holds information on damage caused to the environment by chemicals used in domestic detergents.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has undertaken several projects aimed at understanding the impact on the environment of chemicals contained in domestic detergents. Research indicated that the principal chemical which has the potential for detrimental impact on the environment is phosphorus, which in high levels can lead to eutrophication, reducing oxygen levels in the aquatic system.
	In 2007, DEFRA commissioned an impact assessment to understand the contribution of phosphorus to water bodies failing to meet good ecological status, as defined within the water framework directive. The study showed that domestic detergents accounted for 5% of the phosphorus levels found in water courses.
	Based on this evidence a ban was proposed on levels of phosphorus in domestic detergents greater than 0.4%, under the UK Detergents Regulations 2010, SI 740.
	This ban is due to come into force in 2015. However, the European Parliament is currently proposing a ban on phosphorus levels which, if passed, will bring the UK's timetable forward to 2013. Also, under this proposal, the European Parliament is pursuing an extension to the ban that prohibits the inclusion of phosphorus in automatic dishwasher detergent. It aims for this to come into force in 2017.

Eggs: EU Law

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the EU Egg Marketing regulations to be amended.

James Paice: We will continue to press in Europe to have the relevant EU legislation amended to enable a good enforcement strategy that helps prevent the marketing of eggs when they come from hens reared in conventional cages.
	In the meantime we have taken steps to establish as much compliance as is possible with the conventional cage ban. A number of retailers, egg processors, food manufacturers and the food service industry are working to ensure that they have stringent traceability tests in place so that they can guarantee they are not sourcing conventional eggs from caged hens from either the UK or other member states. The industry has risen to the challenge and come out in support of producers who have stopped using conventional cages, reducing the risk of conventional cage eggs and egg products being marketed in the UK. My written statement to the House of 6 December 2011, Official Report , columns 15-19WS, includes a list of companies able to make this pledge and we will keep this list up to date.

Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had on the future of the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group.

James Paice: Pursuing the twin objectives of a competitive farming sector that plays a full part in protecting and improving the environment is a priority for this Government and the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) epitomised that dual purpose.
	The Farming Regulation Task Force identified the importance of ensuring that the environmental messages we give to farmers and their advisors are clear and well-prioritised. In the Natural Environment White Paper we have committed to undertake a review of advice and incentives for farmers. In taking this work forward we are very conscious of the role of independent environmental and conservation advice providers, such as the FWAG.
	Officials from DEFRA and Natural England have been in close contact with FWAG over recent weeks to establish the facts of the unfolding situation and to understand the implications.
	FWAG played an important role in the delivery of advice for a number of Government initiatives, including helping farmers to participate in agri-environment schemes and the Campaign for the Farmed Environment. The need for this work will continue and independent advice delivered by organisations like the FWAG will continue to play a key role in supporting and developing British farming. While it is very saddening to see the closure of the FWAG it is heartening to see that, in a number of regions, there are already efforts afoot to create successor organisations to deliver advice.

Government Procurement Card

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) transaction date, (b) supplier and (c) amount was of each transaction made on a Government procurement card held by the private office of the Secretary of State in her Department between 28 June 2007 and 11 May 2010.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA introduced an improved GPC transaction processing system in the summer of 2009. Data from 1 May 2009 to 11 May 2010 will be placed in the House of Commons library.
	To identify data prior to May 2009 would incur disproportionate cost.

Hazardous Substances: International Co-operation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has given support to Safe Planet: the UN Campaign for Responsibility on Hazardous Chemicals and Wastes.

Richard Benyon: My Department has not given any direct support to the UN Safe Planet Campaign, but we strongly support the work and aims of the three UN conventions that form part of the campaign and underpin its work, namely the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions.

Livestock: Exports

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to tackle the live export of horses for slaughter; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: We will continue to push the EU Commission for a review of the rules on long journey transportation of all animals, including horses. In the interim, we will also be playing a full part in the work which the EU Commission believes will ensure better enforcement of the existing transportation rules, as outlined in the EU Commission's recent report on the impact of Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005, concerning the protection of animals during transport.

Livestock: Exports

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the costs to the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency were of inspecting live animal export shipments from UK ports (a) in each year from 1997 to 2010 and (b) in 2011 to date.

James Paice: The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency does not record this information.

Livestock: Transport

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to review rules on animal movements.

James Paice: The independent Farming Regulation Task Force made recommendations for changes to the livestock movements' regime. We have implemented some of the recommended changes already. Others require more evidence and detailed risk-assessment before we can make informed, risk-based decisions about whether they can be accepted as proposed. The initial response to the Task Force recommendations, published on 3 November, provided an overview of progress. We will provide our final response early in 2012.

Oil: Exploration

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with the (a) Department for Transport and (b) European Commission on the environmental effects of extracting oil from tar sands.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has been involved in reaching a collective Government position on the UK's negotiating position for EU discussions on oil sands in the context of the fuel quality directive.
	As the Department for Transport leads on the issue in Government, DEFRA has not had any direct discussions with the European Commission on the matter.

Plastic Bags

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has any plans to bring forward legislative proposals to establish a producer responsibility regime for plastic carrier bags.

Richard Benyon: We are currently exploring a range of options, including legislation, and hope to bring forward a proposal next year.

Plastic Bags

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness and consequences of recent legislation in Italy banning plastic carrier bags and its implications for UK waste policy.

Richard Benyon: No assessment of the Italian legislation has been made. We are currently waiting for the European Commission to express views on whether such an outright ban is contrary to the single market provisions in the EU Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (94/62/EC), which guarantee access to markets.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has made an assessment of the risk of infraction proceedings being brought against the Government by the European Commission should it decide to proceed with a unilateral ban on shell and processed eggs from non-enriched hen cages.

James Paice: At the October Agriculture Council, the Commission ruled out the option of an intra-Community trade ban, and gave strong warnings to member states seeking to introduce a unilateral ban.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the cost to (a) manufacturers, (b) food processors and (c) retailers of policing the illegal import of non-compliant eggs under the EU directive on welfare of laying hens.

James Paice: No such assessment has been made by DEFRA. It is the role of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency to enforce the marketing rules in relation to shell eggs.

Rural and Farming Network

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the Rural and Farming Network to be operational.

James Paice: Many of the groups that offered to be members of the Rural and Farming Network are already established and operating. We aim to have announced membership of the new network before Christmas with a view to the first meeting of RFN chairs and DEFRA Ministers taking place in the new year.

Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria have been used to determine the decisions on the restructuring of the Veterinary Laboratories Agency; and what consultations took place prior to the decisions being taken.

Richard Benyon: The Veterinary Laboratories Agency and Animal Health merged in the face of significant reductions in budgets over the spending review period to create a more resilient agency with shared expertise in animal disease management.
	The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) has to make savings of more than £8.5 million for the next four years to meet spending review allocations (cumulative £34 million). These savings are in line with savings to be made across DEFRA.
	All aspects of delivery are being reviewed to ensure that services are delivered in the most cost-effective way possible. Current changes to laboratory service delivery are designed to enable cost savings of more than £2.4 million per annum.
	The proposed changes are based on the outcomes of the 2010 DEFRA-led GB-wide review of surveillance (including laboratory testing and post mortem and other aspects) which identified that savings needed to be made in this area by thinking about changing models of delivery. This review involved contributions from professionals in the field around Great Britain.
	A review of possible changes to the current model which could deliver a service at least as effective as the current one at significantly less cost was carried out earlier in 2011. The review recommended that laboratory testing could be carried out in locations other than those used to carry out post mortems. A representative of front line veterinary staff was involved in this work, as well as relevant experts in epidemiology and state veterinary medicine.
	The effect of this decision—to decouple laboratory testing from post mortem work more widely—was to enable a review of laboratory testing to identify opportunities to materially reduce the costs and increase the efficiency of the function as quickly as possible, while protecting its efficacy as a scanning surveillance tool.
	In 2006-07, the Laboratory Services Department (LSD) as a whole delivered 2.8 million tests of all types. By 2010-11, this number had fallen to less than 1 million, a reduction of 65% in test throughput as a result of changing requirements. During the same period, the number of staff in the LSD fell by 5% and pay costs increased by 6%.
	The decision on where to retain laboratory services was based on a number of factors including:
	the need to retain the necessary capabilities within the work force across the network, in particular specialist scientific and technical skills;
	the need to retain sufficient staff capacity nationally to deliver the volumes of work required;
	consideration of the facilities required to maintain services required, e.g. specialist laboratory infrastructure;
	the need to reduce the number of sites at which the department operates, in order to increase efficiency and reduce management and other overheads (equipment replacement and maintenance, quality and health and safety audits etc);
	the need to retain resilience of service delivery, e.g. Containment Level 3 (CL3) laboratory capacity.
	The fundamental criterion for the decision related to value for money. No wider consultation took place as this was an internal AHVLA review of operational delivery services, which does not significantly change the nature of industry service delivery.

Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the saving to the public purse from proposed restructuring of regional veterinary laboratories.

Richard Benyon: The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency announced plans to reorganise its regional laboratory structure to enable savings of approximately £2.4 million in staff costs per annum.
	There will also be some modest non-pay savings of approximately £120,000 per annum, assuming there are no savings on consumables and reagents. These savings are mainly on equipment maintenance costs.
	There may be additional cost savings as part of the estates rationalisation, but at this time, this has yet to be quantified.

Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in regional veterinary laboratories (a) have been offered and (b) have accepted relocation as a result of the restructuring of the Veterinary Laboratories Agency.

Richard Benyon: The redeployment and redundancy of staff in the regional veterinary laboratories is being handled in accordance with departmental policy. As part of this process, we are providing individuals with priority access to the roles we have available across the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (and the wider civil service). Where an individual is at risk of redundancy and they apply for a role that is in a different location, we will support their relocation financially if there is a good business and financial justification for doing so. As yet, we have not had any requests from staff in the regional laboratories to support their relocation financially.
	All staff have been invited to state whether they would consider relocation as an option for redeployment purposes. Only five have stated that they would consider this option if it was available.

Water: Meters

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has undertaken any analysis of the effectiveness of water meters in reducing long-term levels of water consumption.

Richard Benyon: In 2009, Anna Walker published her Independent Review of Charging for Household Water and Sewerage Services, a copy of which is available on the DEFRA website.
	The review reported that one of the main benefits of metering is that it incentivises more efficient use of water. The review team considered a range of evidence and concluded the best available studies indicate that when people pay for water according to volume used, total water consumption falls by approximately 10%.

Water: Prices

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the proportion of water-bill payers in (a) the South West and (b) other regions of the UK who spend more than five per cent. of their income on their water bills. [R]

Richard Benyon: In May 2011 Ofwat published ‘Affordability and debt 2009-10: Current evidence’, which can be found on the Ofwat website.
	This document contains analysis of the 2008-09 Family Resources Survey, which are the most recent publically-available data on this issue. This analysis found that 16% of households in the south-west spend more than 5% of their disposable income on water and sewerage charges. Across England and Wales, 11% of households spend more than 5% of their disposable income on water and sewerage charges.

WaterSure: Finance

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding was allocated to WaterSure in 2010-11; and how much she plans to allocate in each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

Richard Benyon: WaterSure is not funded by Government and there is therefore no funding allocated via the comprehensive spending review. WaterSure is funded by cross-subsidy by other water customers at company level.

PRIME MINISTER

Cabinet

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether he has invited hon. Members to (a) regional Cabinet meetings and (b) events related to such meetings taking place in or near their constituency;
	(2)  in which cities and towns he plans to hold regional Cabinet meetings in the next 12 months;
	(3)  what criteria were used to select the locations of regional Cabinet meetings since May 2010;
	(4)  in which locations regional Cabinet meetings have taken place since May 2010; and what the estimated cost to the Exchequer was of each such meeting.

David Cameron: Since May 2010, regional Cabinets have been held in the following locations:
	
		
			 Location  Cost (£) 
			 Bradford June 2010 3,000 
			 Derby March 2011 3,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Cardiff July 2011 1,850 
			 Ipswich December 2011 1,950 
		
	
	Departments and agencies will also have incurred costs in terms of travel, staff time and other support. The cost of any security provided by the police is a matter for the relevant police force. Regional Cabinets and associated visits allow Ministers to hear at first hand the views of people in different areas of the country. The location of future meetings will be announced in due course. There has been no change in the practice followed by the previous Administration for inviting hon. Members to meetings and related events.

Copyright

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister whether he discussed the issue of copyright infringement with his Chinese counterpart in June 2011; on what dates any such meetings took place; what issues were discussed; and what (a) internal and (b) external advice he received on the merits of holding any such meeting.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave during the press conference with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on 27 June 2011. A transcript of the press conference is available on the No. 10 website:
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/speeches-and-transcripts/2011/06/press-conference-with-premier-wen-jiabao-65285

EU Action

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on (a) the potential use of the veto and (b) other matters relating to the European Council meeting of 8 and 9 December 2011 since the Joint Ministerial Committee held on 21 November 2011;
	(2)  what discussions he had on (a) the potential use of the veto and (b) other matters relating to the European Council meeting of 8 and 9 December 2011 at the Joint Ministerial Committee held on 21 November 2011.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had with the (a) Scottish Executive, (b) Welsh Government, (c) Northern Ireland Executive and (d) Mayor of London on use of a veto by the UK before the recent European Council.

Ann McKechin: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  when he was most recently in contact with the First Minister of Scotland (a) orally and (b) in writing concerning (i) the operation of the Eurozone and (ii) the meeting of the European Council on 8 and 9 December 2011;
	(2)  what representations he received from the First Minister of Scotland prior to the meeting of the European Council on 8 and 9 December 2011.

David Cameron: International and EU issues are a matter reserved for the UK Government. We liaise through the Joint Ministerial Committee in the usual way. As usual, a Joint Ministerial sub-Committee on Europe was held before the December European Council. All devolved Administrations were given the opportunity to feed in their views.

Public Expenditure

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has for machinery of government changes up to 2015.

David Cameron: The machinery of government is kept under review.

SCOTLAND

Food Procurement

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on food purchased through its food and catering services in the last 12 month period for which information is available.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not have food and catering services.

Tugboats

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  what (a) discussions and (b) meetings his Department has had with (i) the oil and gas industry, (ii) HM Coastguard and (iii) the Department for Transport on the future of the emergency towing vessel service after 31 December 2011;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to maintain the emergency towing vessels service after 31 December 2011.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has held numerous discussions and meetings with the oil and gas industry, HM Coastguard and the Department for Transport to examine long-term options for the emergency towing vessel service in waters around Scotland. We have also worked very closely with other interested parties including the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Scottish Government and local authorities.
	The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), intends to make a statement to the House on this matter shortly.

Young People

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the operation of the Youth Contract in Scotland.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I are in contact with ministerial colleagues from the Department for Work and Pensions on a range of issues, including the Youth Contract.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mothers in (a) Leicester South constituency, (b) Leicester and (c) England receive financial assistance from the Child Support Agency.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mothers in (a) Leicester South constituency, (b) Leicester and (c) England receive financial assistance from the Child Support Agency.
	The Commission does not provide, financial assistance directly. However the Child Support Agency (CSA) operates two existing statutory child maintenance schemes. If a parent opens a case, the CSA will determine how much child maintenance should be paid and can also collect and pass on child maintenance payments.
	In the quarter to September 2011 there were 900 cases with a female parent with care benefiting from maintenance in Leicester South Constituency, 3,000 in Leicester Local Authority and 551,900 in England.
	Cases benefiting from maintenance are referred to as cases with a positive maintenance outcome. In addition the table below provides the number of cases, with a female parent with care in the specified areas, where maintenance was due and the number and percentage of these cases with a positive maintenance outcome in the three months to September 2011.
	
		
			 Cases benefiting from maintenance—September 2011 
			  Maintenance due Positive outcome Percentage with positive outcome 
			 Leicester South constituency 1,200 900 75 
			 Leicester local authority 3,900 3,000 77 
			 England 709,800 551,900 78 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Areas are provided by matching the residential postcode of the parent with care to the Office for National Statistics Postcode Directory. 3. Cases are classed as having maintenance due if an ongoing liability to pay maintenance exists or arrears of maintenance have been requested. This group of cases consists of assessed not charging, compliant, nil compliant, maintenance direct and others with receipts. 4. Cases are counted as having a positive maintenance outcome if they have received a payment via the collection service in the quarter or have a maintenance direct agreement in place. Cases are classed as maintenance direct if this is their status at the end of the quarter. 
		
	
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Employment Schemes

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many organisations have provided support in the Work Choice programme since 2010.

Maria Miller: DWP has contracts with eight prime providers who deliver the Work Choice programme. Between them, the prime providers have 73 subcontractors. Other organisations provide support, such as supported employment places, on an ad hoc basis.

Employment: Disability

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Government’s response to the Sayce review, what further consideration he has given to the recommendations in the Sayce review on data collection on disability; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: The Government consultation on the recommendations of the Sayce review closed on 17 October 2011, and more than 1,400 responses were received. It will take time to analyse the consultation responses in detail and carefully consider the implications for future policy. We will publish a summary of responses received and a statement on future policy as soon as practicably possible.

Housing Benefit: Armed Forces

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of families with a son or daughter in the armed forces and classed as non-resident for the purposes of housing benefit who will have their housing benefit reduced because they are deemed to be underoccupying their property from April 2013.

Steve Webb: The information needed to provide an estimate is not available.
	The number of working-age housing benefit claimants living in the social rented sector and under-occupying their accommodation has been estimated using data from the Department's Family Resources Survey. However, the information needed to estimate the number of affected claimants with non-resident sons or daughters in the armed forces is not collected.
	The impact assessment, entitled “Under-occupation of social housing”, provides information about the effect of the housing benefit change on different groups of claimants, and can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf
	On 14 December 2011, Official Report , House of Lords, columns 1300-02, the Minister for Welfare Reform, the noble Lord Freud, announced £30 million in additional funding for discretionary housing payments, starting from 2013-14. This is intended to provide additional help for working-age claimants living in the social rented sector who under-occupy their homes. We are in the process of developing guidance for local authorities on the groups of claimants that this additional funding is intended to help.

Jobseeker’s Allowance: Public Finance

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of introducing weekly signing for all 18 to 24-year-olds in receipt of jobseeker's allowance from the fifth month of their claim.

Chris Grayling: The cost of providing weekly signing was included as part of a package of support within the Youth Contract that is expected to cost nearly £1 billion over the next three years. The final costs for weekly signing will be driven by the volume of claimants and the Department for Work and Pensions does not forecast unemployment levels.

Pay

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely take-up by businesses of the wage incentives announced in the autumn forecast.

Chris Grayling: The Youth Contracts provides funding for 160,000 job subsidies which will be available to employers for providing work to young people who are being supported through the Work programme. Business groups such as the CBI have called for a new incentive to encourage companies to take on young people.
	Work programme providers will work with employers and young people to deliver these opportunities. We are currently working with Work Programme providers and employers on the design and implementation of the job subsidy.

Pensioners: Council Tax

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in each local authority area are in receipt of council tax benefit; and what proportion of all recipients of the benefit in each area are pensioners.

Steve Webb: The information has been placed in the Library.

Pensioners: Winter Fuel Allowance

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has any plans to put in place a mechanism to allow pensioners to repay winter fuel allowance.

Steve Webb: People have always been able to return their winter fuel payment if they wish to.
	If people wish to return their payment they can do so by sending it to the address on the letter that came with their payment, or to the office that pays their benefit, with a covering letter indicating whether or not they wish to receive the payment in the future.
	We ask people who want to return their payment to do so manually so that it can be dealt with securely under existing departmental financial processes and recorded against their benefit account.

Pensions Advisory Service: Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by the (a) Pensions Advisory Service, (b) Pensions Regulator, (c) Pensions Protection Fund and (d) Pensions Ombudsman in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The numbers of staff are as follows:
	
		
			  Number of staff 
			 Arm’s length body (ALB) 31 March 2011 30 November 2011 
			 The Pensions Advisory Service 42 37 
			 The Pensions Regulator 304 333.7 
			 Pension Protection Fund 291 243.5 
			 Pensions Ombudsman 33.95 29.5 
			 Notes: 1. Data for 31 March 2011 are taken from the Annual Report and Accounts of each ALB for 2010-11. In the case of The Pensions Advisory Service and The Pensions Regulator these are average staffing figures for the year. 2. The increase in the number of staff for The Pensions Regulator is associated with additional resources provided for the auto enrolment employer compliance regime.

Poverty: Children

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children are classed as living in poverty in each local authority in England.

Maria Miller: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or “equivalised”) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
	The sample size of this survey is not sufficient to provide estimates for small areas such as those requested. However, figures at a regional level are available. Three survey years have been combined because single year estimates are not considered to be sufficiently reliable.
	Statistics covering 2007-08 to 2009-10 are the most recent available.
	The following table shows the proportion and number of children living in relative poverty Before Housing Costs (BHC) in England, for 2007-08 and 2009-10 in each region.
	
		
			 Numbers and proportions of children in households with equivalised incomes below 60% of contemporary median income by region Before Housing Costs (BHC) 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			  Proportion of children (%) Number of children (million) 
			 England 21 2.3 
			 North-east 26 0.1 
			 North-west 25 0.4 
		
	
	
		
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 26 0.3 
			 East midlands 23 0.2 
			 West midlands 29 0.3 
			 East 16 0.2 
			 London 20 0.3 
			 South-east 14 0.2 
			 South-west 16 0.2 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) available at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai_arc This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax, payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 3. Figures have been presented on a Before Housing Cost rather than an After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Costs, housing costs are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Costs they are. 4. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 5. The reference period for these HBAI figures is three financial years. 6. Numbers of children have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand children. 7. Proportions of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 8. This measure is defined as: Relative poverty: children living in households with equivalised incomes below 60% of contemporary median household income Before Housing Costs (BHC). 9. The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets three further income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income and persistent poverty. Source: Households Below Average Income 1994/95-2009/10, DWP.

Social Security Benefits

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit sanctions were issued by (a) constituency and (b) region in each month since June 2010.

Chris Grayling: Information on the number of benefit sanctions by (a) constituency and (b) region in each month since June 2010 for jobseeker’s allowance, employment and support allowance, and income support has been placed in the Library.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consider providing support to those who lose the severe disability element of income support once their youngest child passes the age of 18 years.

Maria Miller: The severe disability premium, which is paid to disabled people in receipt of income support, is intended for severely disabled people who live alone, and who are therefore most likely to need to purchase care.
	Once a child is no longer classed as a dependent and continues to live at home, the parent is no longer defined as living alone and entitlement to the severe disability premium will cease.
	With the introduction of universal credit the Government intend to reform the current system of multiple, overlapping disability premiums and tax credits and instead create a much simpler system. Universal credit will have two elements of additional support for disabled people who are assessed as having limited capability for work or limited capability for work and work-related activity. This additional support will not be affected by the presence of non-dependent children in the household.

Social Security Benefits: Foreign Nationals

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Witham (Priti Patel) of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 594W, on social security benefits: foreign nationals, on what date the recording of the nationality of benefit claimants was discontinued; what the reasons were for this decision; and on what date he plans to resume such recording.

Chris Grayling: The nationality of benefits claimants has never been systematically recorded by the Department for Work and Pension's benefit payment systems, as nationality in itself is not a condition of entitlement.
	I have commissioned work to release information regarding the nationality of benefits claimants at the point of registration for a national insurance number. I hope to make these preliminary statistics available shortly. In addition, I have asked my officials to look into ways of capturing nationality information at source.

Social Services: Finance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2011, Official Report, column 515W, on social services: finance, on which dates Ministers in his Department have met ministerial colleagues to discuss the impact of the resource review on social care; and who was present at each such meeting.

Maria Miller: I regularly discuss a range of issues relating to the social care system with ministerial colleagues, however to date I have had no dedicated meetings on the impact of the Local Government Resource Review on social care.

Vaccination: Compensation

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the provisions of the Vaccine Damage Payment Act 1979; and whether he plans to bring forward proposals to amend the Act to include all new vaccines;
	(2)  how many claims under the Vaccine Damage Payment Act 1979 were made in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010; and how many were successful.

Maria Miller: The Vaccine Damage Payments scheme was reviewed in 2000 and resulted in a number of changes to the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 including lowering the disability threshold from 80% to 60% and increasing the time limit for making a claim. There are no plans to introduce any further changes to the Act.
	The information requested on the number of vaccine damage payments claims and awards made is not available in the format requested but such information as is available is contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Vaccine damage claims and awards 
			  Claims Awards 
			 2008-09 62 0 
			 2009-10 62 3 
			 2010-11 91 1 
			 Notes: 1. Financial year is from April to March. 2. Payments made in any one year do not necessarily relate to the specific claims made in that year. This is largely due to the scheme’s generous time limits for seeking a review of a vaccine damage payments decision and the fact that there is no time limit for making an appeal to an independent tribunal.

Winter Fuel Payments

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to improve the speed of administration of the winter fuel allowance for those aged over 80 so that people who turn 80 after 27 September in a given year receive the higher level that winter; if he will consider paying a proportion of the over 80 rate of winter fuel allowance to people who turn 80 after 27 September in a particular year once their claim has been processed; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The qualifying week for winter fuel payments is set in legislation as the third full week in September. Payment is made according to people's circumstances in that week. We use this date in order to establish entitlement and make payments before Christmas. The process to establish the entitlement of over 12 million pensioners takes six weeks and the first payments, to the poorest pensioners, are sent in early November. Payments continue to be sent through to December.
	The winter fuel payment is a simple scheme to administer. Introducing pro-rata payments would make the scheme more complex. The process of establishing the amount of entitlement in individual cases would delay payments, and add significant expense.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has put in place a contingency strategy for dealing with a Work programme provider which experiences financial difficulties.

Chris Grayling: All providers were required to demonstrate at the bidding stage that they had the financial capacity to deliver the Work programme. In addition, there are mechanisms in place to forewarn the Department about the potential failure or withdrawal of providers, allowing the Department to put alternative arrangements in place before service delivery is affected.
	The Work programme contracts have been set-up with two to three providers in each contract package area, so there will be at least one alternative provider in each area which can continue to support participants should a provider fail, in advance of a competition being run to replace the failing provider.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each category of jobseeker he expects to be referred to the Work programme in each month of 2012.

Chris Grayling: An updated set of volumes based on the recent OBR forecasts will be issued to providers before Christmas.
	Following are the previous set of indicative volumes sent to providers for claimant starts by payment group. The estimates for 2011-12 are for the 10 month period from when the Work programme went live in June 2011, to March 2012.
	Volume estimates have been formulated for each year only.
	
		
			  2011-12 2012-13 
			 JSA 18-24 81,000 69,000 
			 JSA 25+ 294,000 241,000 
			 JSA Early Access 40,000 42,000 
			 JSA Ex-IB 23,000 36,000 
			 ESA Volunteer 65,000 69,000 
			 ESA Flow 56,000 66,000 
			 ESA Ex-IB 53,000 74,000 
			 IB/IS (England only) 16,000 19,000 
			 Total 628,000 616,000

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will enable Work programme prime providers to publish the number of jobseekers they have placed into employment.

Chris Grayling: The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet the required high quality standards and we will be seeking advice from the UK Statistics Authority on whether we can permit Work programme prime providers to publish performance information ahead of the release of these official statistics on Work programme job outcomes in autumn 2012.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what comparative assessment he has made of the performance of the Work programme and that of the Flexible New Deal at the same stage of development.

Chris Grayling: The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards; no valid assessment of Work programme performance will be possible before official statistics on referrals are published from spring 2012 and on job outcomes from autumn 2012.

Work Programme

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with Work programme providers since the publication of the most recent unemployment forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Chris Grayling: The DWP officials managing Work programme contracts will be responsible for communications with providers concerning the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts.

Work Programme

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the most recent forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility of levels of unemployment on the capacity of Work programme providers to deliver their existing contracts.

Chris Grayling: An assessment will be made following discussions about the new unemployment forecasts between DWP officials and Work programme providers.

Work Programme

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the contribution by the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Nick Smith) of 8 December 2011, Official Report, column 418W, on core cities, whether he plans to allow all local authorities to participate in the Work programme.

Chris Grayling: For the Work programme to be successful we need to tap into the experience, knowledge and specialist skills of local partners in order to deliver the personalised and localised services required in today's labour market. We expect Work programme providers to work with local authorities and local enterprise partnerships alongside other local organisations to understand and meet the needs of individuals from all customer groups.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (a) how much her Department received through the collection of fees from those holding personal licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and (b) what the operating costs were of the Animals in Science Regulation Unit in each of the last three years.

Lynne Featherstone: Section 8 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 requires that:
	“The holder of a certificate issued under section 6 or 7 shall pay such periodical fees to the Secretary of State as may be prescribed by or determined in accordance with an order made by him.”
	The fees are required to cover the cost of operating the 1986 Act. Designated breeders and suppliers pay a single fee: designated scientific procedure establishments pay a standard charge supplemented by an additional charge based on the number of live personal licences valid at that place during the fiscal year.
	Fees are charged annually one year in arrears and comply with HM Treasury fees and charges principles. The operating costs are reviewed against the accrued fee income for that particular year which is based on the actual fees received in the previous financial year. Any shortfall is taken into account the following year.
	The cost of operating the 1986 Act and accrued income is in the following table.
	
		
			 £000 
			 Fiscal year (April to March) Operating costs Estimated fee income 
			 2008-09 3,625 3,600 
			 2009-10 3,830 3,800 
			 2010-11 3,895 3,900

Animal Experiments

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legal advice she has received on the suitability of implementing some or all the requirements of Directive 2010/63/EU relating to animal experimentation by means of secondary legislation made under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: I am advised that section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 is a suitable means by which the requirements of Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes may be transposed into United Kingdom legislation.

Animal Experiments

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason her Department did not include animal welfare in the list of direct key non-monetised costs by main affected groups when conducting its impact assessment of transposition options for Directive 2010/63/EU; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: Animal welfare issues were fully considered in the impact assessment of the options for transposition of European Directive 2010/63/EU. In the summary of policy option 2 they are covered under “other key non-monetised costs by main affected groups” which refers to standards of care and accommodation and in the summary of policy option 3 they are covered under “other key non-monetised benefits by main affected groups”. More detailed discussion of animal welfare is set out in the sections dealing with the evidence base.

Association of Chief Police Officers: Government Procurement Card

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry was of each transaction undertaken by the Association of Chief Police Officers using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is not held by the Home Office and is a matter for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

Asylum

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of asylum seekers entering the UK travelled through a safe third country to reach the UK in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: In the last five years the following number of cases have been accepted for consideration for removal to a safe third country based on evidence received at the time they were encountered in the UK.
	
		
			  Accepted for consideration for removal to a safe third country Total asylum claims Proportion (percentage) 
			 2006 1,948 23,608 8 
			 2007 1,792 23,431 8 
			 2008 2,433 25,932 9 
			 2009 2,693 24,487 11 
			 2010 1,633 17,916 9 
		
	
	These figures are based on management information, and therefore are not subject to the stringent checks required for National Statistics.

Asylum: Democratic Republic of Congo

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information she used to decide that it is safe to return failed asylum seekers to the Democratic Republic of Congo; and when such information was last updated.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency carefully considers all asylum and human rights claims made by nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in accordance with the UK's international obligations. All decisions take into account publicly available country information, including that found in the agency's Country of Origin Information (COI) reports. The DRC COI report was last published in June 2009; an update is scheduled to be released in early 2012. The DRC COI report (and future updates) can be accessed via the agency's website:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/policyandlaw/guidance/coi/
	To supplement COI reports officials also have access to an information request service for case-specific queries, including those relating to the DRC. This service ensures that decision makers are able to access up to date country information should they require this.

Asylum: Democratic Republic of Congo

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers have been returned to Democratic Republic of Congo in the last 12 months.

Damian Green: The latest published figures show that 33 asylum seekers, including dependants, were removed or departed voluntarily to the Democratic Republic of Congo between October 2010 and September 2011; this figure is provisional.
	It is not possible within these figures to say what stage in the asylum process these people have reached at the time of their removal, including whether their claim has failed at that point, because those departing voluntarily can do so at any stage without necessarily notifying the UK Border Agency.
	The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK within ‘Immigration Statistics’. The data on removals and voluntary departures are available in the latest release: Immigration Statistics: July to September 2011, tables rv.01 to rv.08, from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science, Research and Statistics web pages at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/

Departmental Assets

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assets with a value of £250,000 or more her Department has bought since May 2010; for what purpose; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: There have been no assets of over £250,000 purchased by the core Home Office between May 2010 and September 2011.
	Assets purchased by Home Office agencies between May 2010 and September 2011 of a value of over £250,000 are as follows:
	
		
			 Description Expenditure (£000) 
			 UK Border Agency  
			 IT system (immigration case work) 92,837 
			 Detention centre assets (Harmondsworth) 40,652 
			 IT system (Semaphore) 16,851 
			 IT system (E-borders) 13,687 
			 IT system (Warnings Index) 12,357 
			 Biometric gates 12,005 
			 Cyclamen radiation scanner project 11,629 
			 Scanners and thermal imaging equipment 7,967 
			 Estates (Croydon and Liverpool consolidations) 5,577 
			 Secure IT system 4,951 
			 Detention centre assets (PDE/Cedars) 4,263 
			 Detention centre assets (Campsfield) 3,880 
			 Secure IT system 3,606 
			 ICW early deliverables 3,110 
			 Detention centre assets (Morton Hall) 3,110 
			 Mycroft tech refresh 2,953 
			 Radio equipment 2,266 
			 Rostering and annualised hours 1,800 
			 National Border Targeting Centre 1,731 
			 Detention centre assets (Brook House) 1,713 
			 Detention centre assets (Bullingdon) 1,696 
			 Detention centre assets (Manchester short term holding facility) 1,688 
			 Brijot scanning 1,361 
			 Detention centre assets (Tinsley House) 1,098 
			 IT System (asylum support) 1,065 
		
	
	
		
			 Document Reader Authority 1,050 
			 Detention centre assets (Larne) 900 
			 Immigration and asylum finger print system 626 
			 Partially enhanced search client—IT system 509 
			 Next generation handheld biometrics 500 
			 Identity cards for foreign nationals 423 
			 Central IT reference system 360 
			 Body scan units 358 
			 Visa applications for UK 356 
			 Other IT (central interface) 303 
			 UKBA total 259,238 
			   
			 Criminal Records Bureau  
			 Vetting and barring scheme intangible assets 2,500 
			 Computer hardware 1,380 
			 Customer relationship management database 1,100 
			 CRB total 4,980 
			   
			 Identity  and  Passport Service  
			 Replacing passport printing equipment 29,000 
			 Replacing and upgrading passport operating system 20,600 
			 National Identity Assurance Service 13,200 
			 Relocation costs (Belfast passport office) 2,000 
			 IPS total 64,800

Industrial Disputes

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many staff in her Department were re-deployed to cover the work of staff involved in industrial action on 29 and 30 November 2011; and what the cost was of (a) overtime payments including travel time, (b) time off in lieu of overtime, (c) travel, accommodation and subsistence costs and (d) bonus and other payments for that purpose;
	(2)  how many Government employees from outside her Department were re-deployed to cover the work of staff in her Department at ports and airports involved in industrial action on 29 and 30 November 2011; and what the cost was of (a) training, (b) overtime payments including travel time, (c) time off in lieu of overtime, (d) travel, accommodation and subsistence costs and (e) bonus and other payments for that purpose.

Damian Green: A total of 1,100 staff from the UK Border Agency (UKBA), Home Office and volunteers from other Government Departments, were deployed to ports and airports to maintain border controls and entry checks during the period of industrial action on 29 and 30 November. The number of staff involved, with a range of Home departments and deployments to ports and airports across the UK, has led to some delay in accurately reconciling an accurate breakdown of management information. Work to complete this task has been commissioned and is already under way.
	In addition, UKBA are reviewing additional travel and subsistence costs incurred by staff that deployed to primary control points over the period of industrial action. The majority of staff have yet to submit reimbursement claims, meaning that it is too early to provide an accurate breakdown of costs. This will be done once claims are processed and properly reconciled.

Industrial Disputes

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any staff of British diplomatic posts overseas were flown back to the UK to cover the work of staff in her Department involved in industrial action on 29 and 30 November 2011; and what the cost was of (a) travel and (b) accommodation for any such staff.

Damian Green: Not all eligible staff have currently submitted reimbursement claims, meaning that an accurate breakdown of numbers and cost is not yet available.

Departmental Secondment

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what secondments there have been to her Department from (a) industry and (b) the third sector since May 2010; what the (i) purpose and (ii) duration is of each secondment; and whether each secondment was to a policy development role.

Damian Green: The Home Department has appointed 69 staff on secondment since 31 May 2010 but it is not possible to separate out this figure to report on the (a) industry and (b) third sector that these secondments came from without contacting individual line managers to check locally-held records which would incur a disproportionate cost. For the same reason, it is also not possible to report on the (i) purpose and (ii) duration of each secondment, or whether each secondment was to a policy development role.

Entry Clearances

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for leave to remain were received from those resident in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London borough of Bexley in the last 12 months.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency received 80 applications for leave to remain from those resident in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in the last 12 months. A further 256 applications were received for residents in the London borough of Bexley.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are from 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011.
	2. All figures quoted are management information which has been subject to internal quality checks.

Entry Clearances: Iran

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements her Department has made to assist those whose personal papers and applications for visas were destroyed during the incident at the British embassy in Tehran; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency (UKBA) hopes to put in place shortly an arrangement with a third state to oversee UK interests in Iran. UKBA will work with that country to assess how best to return to their owners' documents submitted during the visa application process. Every effort has been made to secure these documents. Applicants will be informed as soon as possible about these arrangements but it is currently not possible to say exactly when this will happen. UKBA is aware that some applicants are urgently seeking the return of their documents and deeply regret that the attack on the embassy has resulted in such inconvenience or distress.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2011, Official Report, column 457W, on EU Justice and Home Affairs, what progress has been made in compiling the list of police and criminal justice instruments adopted under the pre-Lisbon treaty third pillar arrangements which would be liable to transfer to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in 2014 should the UK opt to accept the transfer at the end of the transitional period granted under Article 10 of Protocol 36 to the consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 15 December 2011
	The provisions of Article 10(1) and the notification under Article 10(4) of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions apply to Acts of the Union in the field of police cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters which have been adopted before the entry into force of the Lisbon treaty on 1 December 2009 where those Acts have not subsequently been repealed, annulled or amended.
	Officials are currently finalising the list of measures which the Government anticipate will fall within the scope of this notification and this will be made available to Parliament as soon as possible.

Members: Correspondence

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer Question 71147, on public disorder and police funding, tabled by the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington on 6 September 2011.

Nick Herbert: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 7 December 2011, Official Report, column 318W.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will arrange for the hon. Member for Walsall North to receive a reply to her letter of 7 November 2011 to HM Revenue and Customs, subsequently transferred to the UK Border Agency, CTS reference B29002/11.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency replied to the hon. Member on 13 December.
	The letter was received by the UK Border Agency on 15 November and therefore responded to within the agreed service standards.

Gang and Youth Violence: Crime Prevention

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the report, “Ending Gang and Youth Violence” whether the £10 million of funding to be distributed by April 2012 had previously been allocated for other purposes; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The £10 million on funding is a prioritisation of previously announced Home Office investment in early intervention as the “Ending Gang and Youth Violence” report states.

Police: Pay

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to (a) receive the recommendation of the Police Arbitration Tribunal on police pay and conditions and (b) announce her response to that recommendation.

Nick Herbert: The timing of the recommendation on Part 1 of the Independent Review of Police Officer and Staff Remuneration and Conditions is a matter for the Police Arbitration Tribunal.
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), will consider the PAT's recommendations very carefully in line with her statutory responsibilities and announce her decision in due course.

Security Guards: Licensing

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether her Department has issued any covert licences for security guards at Thames Water;
	(2)  how many covert licences were issued in the last two years.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 15 December 2011
	Security industry licences are issued by the Security Industry Authority (SIA). Security operatives working under contract require a SIA licence and must adhere to certain licence conditions, one of which is to have the licence on display at all times while working. A specific covert activity can be applied if an operative can demonstrate that the nature of their conduct on that occasion requires them to not be identifiable. This covert activity allows, for example, store detectives or close protection operatives to perform licensable activities without the need to be identifiable. However, all security operatives must carry their licence on them and produce it on request. The SIA do not require individuals to report if they use this specific licence condition, but the breach of any licence condition is an offence liable to prosecution. An SIA licence is issued to the individual and the SIA does not hold records of their employer.

Sexual Offences: Registration

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when her Department plans to introduce a requirement for registered sex offenders to notify the police of all foreign travel;
	(2)  when her Department plans to publish its response to its consultation on four key proposals to strengthen the notification requirements for registered sex offenders, including introducing a requirement for registered sex offenders to notify all foreign travel.

Lynne Featherstone: On 14 June 2011, the Home Office launched a targeted consultation on reforming the notification requirements for registered sex offenders. The consultation ran for eight weeks and closed on 8 August 2011. The consultation sought views on four key proposals; (i) notification of all foreign travel, (ii) weekly notification where a registered sex offender is registered as ‘no fixed abode’, (iii) notify when living with a minor, and (iv) notify passport, bank account and credit card details and provide proof of identification at each notification.
	The Home Office is currently considering its response to the consultation which will be published in due course.

Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department allocated for work to benefit girls or young women who have been victims or are at risk of gang-related sexual exploitation and abuse in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011 to date; and how much funding she plans to allocate for such purposes in (i) 2012, (ii) 2013 and (iii) 2014.

Lynne Featherstone: The Ending Gang and Youth Violence report, published on 1 November 2011, announced £400,000 per year for 2012, 2013 and 2014 to improve services to support children under 18 suffering from rape and sexual abuse. This will include services targeted at girls and young women who are suffering from sexual exploitation from gangs.
	The £4 million Communities Against Guns, Gangs and Knives fund announced in February 2011 includes funding projects supporting girls and young women involved in gang related violence during 2011-12 and 2012-13, and some of those services will tackle sexual violence.
	Ring-fenced funding for services aimed at girls at risk of sexual exploitation from gangs was not available in 2010-11.

Metal Theft

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the statement on page 57 of the Autumn Statement (Cm 8231) that the Government will invest £5 million to set up a nationwide taskforce to target metal thieves and scrap metal dealers who illegally trade in stolen metal, whom this taskforce will comprise; who will lead the taskforce; what the anticipated timescale is of its operation; on what basis its budget has been set; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 5 December 2011
	The details of the national metal theft taskforce are currently being developed, in liaison with the British Transport police which is leading this work, and will be announced shortly.

UK Border Agency: Industrial Disputes

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Government employees from outside the UK Border Agency who were re-deployed in (a) ports and (b) airports to cover the work of staff involved in industrial action on 29 and 30 November 2011 received (i) less than one day's training, (ii) one day's training, (iii) two days training or (iv) more than two days training in preparation for carrying out that work.

Damian Green: Staff deployed received training appropriate to their level of experience, skill set and the nature of the operational function they fulfilled during the period of the industrial action. Courses ranged from half-a-day (mainly aimed at senior UKBA staff so they could operate the e-gates at ports with this facility) a one day refresher course for those who had previous operational experience; and up to four days that allowed staff to conduct entry checks on non EU/EEA arrivals. The training was supported and reinforced by operational mentoring prior to deployment to ports or airports.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent staff worked for the UK Border Agency in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how many she expects to work for the Agency in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 24 November 2011
	The average work force figure for 2010-11 can be found in the UK Border Agency annual report and accounts 2010-11 The report can be found online at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/annual-reports-accounts/
	Home Office work force plans are designed to be flexible to best support evolving business priorities throughout the spending review period and to be affordable within the Home Office's spending review settlement.
	Detailed plans for the years (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 are not available at this time. The (iii) 2014-15 work force will be in the order of 18,000. This amounts to a reduction of around 5,200 over the spending review period.

Union of Good

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the representation of people listed by her Department as supporters of the Union of Good on bodies funded by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 15 December 2011
	The Prevent strategy states that neither Prevent funding nor support will be given to organisations that hold extremist views or support terrorist-related activity of any kind, in this country or overseas. This applies irrespective of the source of the funding: central Government, local government or policing. With regard to the Union of Good, I am not aware of any such list.

Vetting

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that individuals charged with, but not convicted of, criminal offences have recourse to remove any allegations from their enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks.

Lynne Featherstone: The Protection of Freedoms Bill will, when enacted, make amendments to part V of the Police Act 1997. Specifically, a process will be introduced for people to ask for an independent review of any information disclosed by a chief officer on an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) certificate that they consider not to be relevant or ought not to be included on the certificate.

Vetting: Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Criminal Record Bureau's (CRB) policy is on disclosing details of an applicant's sectioning under the Mental Health Act in a CRB certificate when no offence has been committed; whether any assessment has been made of the effects of such disclosure on an applicant; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 12 December 2011
	The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) does not have a policy on the disclosure of information concerning a person's mental health. This is because part V of the Police Act 1997, under which the CRB operates, provides that the chief officer of a relevant force may release any information which they consider relevant to the purpose of the disclosure and which they consider ought to be included on the certificate. The CRB are not involved in this process.

Vetting: Standards

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) target time and (b) average time taken was to complete a Criminal Records Bureau check from when the completed form is received; and how many such checks have taken more than six months to complete in the last year.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 15 November 2011
	The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) aims to process 90% of all enhanced checks within 28 days of receipt of a fully completed application form and 95% of standard checks within 10 days.
	The following table shows the average time taken to complete both standard and enhanced CRB checks in the last 12 months and those that have taken longer than six months to complete.
	There are a number of factors that can affect the timely completion of CRB checks, including but not restricted to the length of time it can take for an employer to deal with the initial application; the accurate completion of the application form; the clarity of the information provided; the existence of conviction or non-conviction information and the operational effectiveness of the disclosure units of the police forces involved in the CRB checking process.
	Most enhanced certificates are delayed at the police local intelligence checking stage. I am aware that such delays have meant that the CRB has in the past had some problems meeting its agreed targets. However, I am pleased to confirm that there has been a significant improvement in terms of overall turnaround between the police and the CRB, following the implementation of a range of improvements.
	In October, the CRB issued over 95% of enhanced CRB certificates within 28 days.
	
		
			  Standard disclosures Enhanced disclosures 
			  Certificates issued Average turnaround Number taking over six months Certificates issued Average turnaround Number taking over six months Percentage taking over six months 
			 November 2010 15,814 5.2 0 372,575 24.65 1,442 0.39 
			 December 2010 10,247 5.08 0 302,084 24.44 1,032 0.34 
			 January 2011 12,496 4.23 0 307,286 24.36 1,054 0.34 
			 February 2011 14,485 5.25 0 337,472 18.07 1,025 0.30 
			 March 2011 19,372 4.99 0 361,111 15.25 911 0.25 
			 April 2011 17,148 4.59 0 277,168 13.26 745 0.27 
			 May 2011 21,582 3.86 0 284,977 13.15 716 0.25 
			 June 2011 21,563 4.63 0 326,472 12.04 619 0.19 
			 July 2011 20,947 4.71 0 328,984 11.08 329 0.10 
			 August 2011 22,811 4.7 0 315,833 10.35 152 0.05 
			 September 2011 20,204 4.42 0 301,085 9.54 191 0.06 
			 October 2011 23,638 5.42 0 348,786 10.83 166 0.05 
			 Total 220,307 4.7 0 3,863,833 15.7 8,382 0.22

Violent and Sex Offender Register

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when her Department intends to publish its response to the consultation on proposals to strengthen the notification requirements for registered sex offenders;
	(2)  what progress her Department has made on the introduction of a requirement for registered sex offenders to notify the police of all foreign travel.

Lynne Featherstone: On 14 June 2011 the Home Office launched a targeted consultation on reforming the notification requirements for registered sex offenders; the consultation ran for a period of eight weeks and drew to a close on 8 August 2011. The consultation sought views on four key proposals: (i) notification of all foreign travel, (ii) notify weekly where registered as ‘no fixed abode’, (iii) notify when living with a minor and (iv) notify of passport, bank account and credit card details and provide proof of identification at each notification.
	The Home Office is currently considering its response to the consultation which will be published in due course.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to answer question 57878 from the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire on 25 May 2011 on the UK Border Agency.

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 29 November 2011, Official Report, column 798W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer Question 80423 on the UK Border Force, tabled on 8 November 2011 for named day answer on 14 November 2011.

Damian Green: holding answer 5 December 2011
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 13 December 2011, Official Report, columns 627-8W.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Telecommunications Masts

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to encourage mobile telephone networks to share telecommunication masts.

Edward Vaizey: The mobile telephone operators already have established network sharing arrangements, as evidenced by Cornerstone, a network sharing agreement between Vodafone and O2 and the Mobile Broadband Network Limited company established by Everything Everywhere and Three UK.

Arts Council England: Finance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England spent in each local authority area (a) in total and (b) per head of local population in each of the last three years.

Edward Vaizey: Arts Council England have produced a table with the total funding levels for the last three years, and the funding per head for the last three years in each local authority area of England. A copy will be deposited in the Library of both Houses.

Arts Council England: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which organisations in Torbay constituency received Arts Council England funding in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10, (d) 2010-11 and (e) 2011-12.

Edward Vaizey: Arts Council England gave grants for the arts (GA) and managed funds (MF) to the following organisations in the Torbay constituency in:
	(a) 2007-08:
	Acumen Publications (GA)—Acumen Poetry
	Torbay Play Forum (GA)—Creative Play in the Bay
	Torbay council (GA)—Developing the Torbay Creative brand Website
	Torbay council (MF)—Local Authority Partnership Agreement
	(b) 2008-09:
	None
	(c) 2009-10:
	Torbay Poetry Festival (GA)—Bringing the Best Poetry to the Community
	Shiona Morton (GA)—Extension to Attachment at the Bristol Old Vic
	Acumen Publications (GA)—Keeping the Profile of Poetry High
	Oldway Primary School (GA)—Pamoja 2
	Torbay council (MF)—LA Regional Improvement project
	Torbay council (MF)—Development of Planning Area for Culture, Torbay
	Torbay council (MF)—Work to develop improved cultural services delivery in the South West.
	(d) 2010-11:
	Torbay Play Forum (GA)—Midwinter Mischief
	Acumen Publications (GA)—Acumen Poetry
	(e) 2011-12:
	None

Broadband

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to accelerate progress of the 4G broadband roll-out.

Edward Vaizey: The Office of Communications (Ofcom) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have been working on the earliest availability of both bands expected to be used for 4G broadband services. The 800 MHz band will be available following the completion of digital switchover in 2012 and the subsequent clearance of DTT from channels 61 and 62 which is expected to be completed by the end of 2013. The 2.6 GHz band will be available following the completion of radar remediation work which is also expected to be completed in areas covering the majority of the population by the end of 2013. The preparation and timing of the auction is an operational one for the independent regulator, Ofcom, who expect to conduct an auction of the bands starting in second half of 2012.

Broadband

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what progress has been made on his Department's rural broadband roll-out programme; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: Eight local broadband projects are currently in procurement and will enter delivery next year. The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport is challenging all local authorities and the devolved Administrations to have their local broadband plans approved by the end of April at the latest and to be ready for procurement within three months of this approval.
	The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), is confident that they will be able to meet this timetable and that deployment will be complete by 2015.

Official Hospitality

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what receptions and events have been hosted by his Department since May 2010, including those sponsored by third parties.

John Penrose: The receptions and events shown in the table have been hosted by Ministers since May 2010.
	
		
			 Minister Month and year Reception/event 
			 Jeremy Hunt May 2010- Culture speech 
			 Jeremy Hunt May 2010 Media speech 
			 Jeremy Hunt June 2010 Tourism speech 
			 Hugh Robertson September 2010 Reception for chairs and CEOs of sporting bodies 
			 Ed Vaizey November 2010 Future of UK film industry event 
			 Hugh Robertson November 2010 Sports reception 
			 Jeremy Hunt December 2010 Reception for journalists 
			 Hugh Robertson March 2011 Valedictory dinner for David Higgins 
			 Ed Vaizey March 2011 BT parliamentary reception 
			 Hugh Robertson August 2011 Journalists reception 
			 Jeremy Hunt August 2011 Local TV road shows: Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Newport 
			 Jeremy Hunt September 2011 Local TV road shows: Glasgow, Belfast, London 
		
	
	Information about ministerial meetings with outside interest groups can be found on the Department's Transparency website at the following link:
	http://www.transparency.culture.gov.uk/
	Other events, such as Round Table meetings hosted by the Departments' officials and Ministers are not compiled centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost for the period requested.

Diamond Jubilee 2012: Medals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will take steps to make the diamond jubilee medal available to veterans who wish to receive one.

Hugh Robertson: Detailed eligibility criteria for the Diamond Jubilee medal are a matter for sponsoring Departments and the devolved Administrations. As with the golden jubilee, the diamond jubilee medal will be issued only to those who meet the eligibility criteria and are in service on and including the 6 February 2012.

Diamond Jubilee 2012: Medals

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will consider extending the eligibility for the Queen's Jubilee Medal to (a) St John Ambulance and (b) other such voluntary organisations.

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will consider extending the eligibility for the Queen’s diamond jubilee medal to (a) St John Ambulance Cymru and (b) other such voluntary organisations.

Hugh Robertson: The eligibility criteria for the diamond jubilee medal are broadly the same as that for the golden jubilee medal, which means that it will be issued to serving front-line members of the armed forces, emergency services and Her Majesty’s Prison Service who have completed five years’ service on, and including, Accession day, 6 February 2012.
	The Government are actively considering additional ways to visibly recognise and reward the work of outstanding voluntary organisations such as the St John Ambulance in Her Majesty’s diamond jubilee year.

Internet: Access

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take to improve access to the internet for the 10 per cent. of the population who are not included in the Government's target for the roll-out of superfast broadband by 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Government published their broadband strategy “Britain's Superfast Broadband Future” in December 2010, which included their target of delivering a standard 2 Mbps broadband target for virtually all premises by 2015. A copy of the strategy can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/10-1320-britains-su.perfast-broadband-future.pdf

Internet: Access

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the findings of the Communications Management Association's Internet Opportunity Survey; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport helped to fund this survey, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has noted the findings with great interest. It is important that we have a firm evidence base with which to inform and develop our policy making, and the Communications Management Association's Internet Opportunity Survey has made—and will continue to make—a valuable contribution to that.

Local Broadcasting: Essex

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport for what reasons he did not name a town in Essex in his list of towns and cities to be permitted to have their own local television station.

Edward Vaizey: The list of locations that could receive a local TV service was determined by Ofcom using a range of criteria including suitable spectrum coverage. Unfortunately, local TV in Essex is not technically possible due to a lack of availability of suitable spectrum.

Music: Young People

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to support involvement in music by young people.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 15 December 2011
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), and I launched the first National Plan for Music Education on 25 November which sets out Government's priorities and support for music education. In partnership with the music industry we are also supporting a new music competition, the Next BRIT Thing and 14 new rehearsal spaces across England providing young people with the space to develop their musical talents.

Olympic Games 2012: Legacy

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the legacy objectives of the London 2012 Olympics.

Hugh Robertson: We have set out our four legacy objectives in the Government’s Legacy Plan published in December 2010:
	Harnessing the United Kingdom’s passion for sport to increase school-based and grass-roots participation in competitive sport—and to encourage the whole population to be more physically active;
	Exploiting to the full the opportunities for economic growth offered by hosting the games, particularly with reference to inward investment and tourism;
	Promoting community engagement and participation in voluntary work across all groups in society through the games; and
	Ensuring that the Olympic Park can be developed after the games as one of the principal drivers of regeneration in east London, with particular focus on the digital and creative industries.
	In meeting these objectives:
	We are confident that the London 2012 games will leave behind a significant sporting legacy. Olympic venues and investment in training facilities will support local communities after the games. We are strengthening grass-roots sport through the Places People Play initiative: more than a thousand local sports clubs and facilities will be improved, the nation’s playing fields protected, and 40,000 new community sports leaders recruited. We are inspiring young people, including through the School games programme to get more schoolchildren excited by competitive sport—more than 11,000 schools are already signed up.
	London 2012 expects to have directly procured £6 billion worth of contracts, generating tens of thousands of supply chain contract opportunities. To date, the ODA has directly awarded contracts worth £6 billion to over 1,500 suppliers, 98% of which have been awarded to companies in the UK. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is now undertaking procurement for £700 million worth of goods and services from the open market. We are committed to ensuring that the tourism industry maximise the economic benefits provided by the games. Including new money that has recently been announced from the GREAT campaign, plus private sector support, VisitBritain will invest around £127 million in a new international marketing programme. Over the next four years, it is expected to deliver 4.6 million extra visitors from overseas and £2.27 billion in extra visitor spend.
	We are promoting community engagement though the Inspire and community-based programmes. To date, over 2,000 community-based projects have been awarded, the Inspire Mark, which is awarded to high-quality non-commercial projects inspired by the games. Also the Nations and Regions Group, established by the Government and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), works directly with each UK nation and region to help them realise and maximise the benefits from the economic, sporting and cultural opportunities offered by the games. Over 240,000 people applied for the 70,000 available places on the London 2012 Games Maker programme. LOCOG is now offering roles to successful applicants.
	The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) is leading the transformation and development of the park after the games. The OPLC submitted their Legacy Communities Scheme planning application in October 2011 to guide the development needed to create up to a further 6,800 new homes (with a focus on family housing), schools and health centres, employment space for up to 4,400 jobs, and a strong sporting legacy from the park venues. The new £1.43 billion Westfield retail development at Stratford City is the largest urban shopping centre in Europe and employs 10,000 people, many of them local residents. Volterra, a consultancy commissioned by Westfield, estimates that eventually this will rise to 20,000 people. Westfield is just the start of the Olympic legacy and a symbol of the big changes coming to east London. The Olympic Park will be developed as a national and international hub for fast-growing creative and digital industries and attracting new investment to the country.

Olympic Games 2012: Legacy

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment has been made of the potential effects of the London 2012 Olympics on Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituency.

Hugh Robertson: The Government and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) established the Nations and Regions Group to ensure UK-wide engagement and to maximise the legacy from London 2012. This group works directly with representatives from each of the nations and English regions to realise the sporting, economic, and cultural benefits of the 2012 games.
	The South East stands to gain from the wide range of opportunities created by the 2012 games, through businesses winning games-related work, increased tourism and cultural celebrations. Some examples of how Kent, and specifically my hon. Friend's own constituency, will benefit from the games are as follows.
	Over 22,000 schools and colleges across the UK have registered for LOCOG's London 2012 education programme, Get Set. 631 schools and colleges are registered in Kent including schools in Sittingbourne and Sheppey. We are also introducing the School Games, a new school sport competition which will provide more opportunities for pupils to compete in sport through a vibrant programme of regular intra- and inter-school competitions. All schools are being encouraged to sign up.
	Also, “Places People Play”, the mass participation Olympic legacy programme, will bring sporting legacy to life in communities across the country. This will be achieved by transforming the places where people play sport, inspiring people to make sport happen at a local level and creating sporting opportunities that give everyone the chance to become part of the mass participation legacy.
	The London 2012 games will leave behind a significant sporting legacy, as well as programmes to increase participation; the whole country will benefit from London winning the right to stage the World Athletics Championships in 2017.
	Over 2,000 cultural or sporting projects across the UK have been awarded the Inspire marks. In the South East 181 projects have been awarded Inspire marks. One example is Making it Last—a project led by Kent county council and the Sittingbourne Community College. It teaches young people about the importance of sustainability in a creative way. It also draws on the Olympic values and the games' Sustainability Plan. Further information can be found at:
	http://www.kent20in12.org.uk/index.php/case-studies/ page/63/
	There has been significant support for the London 2012 Games Maker programme, with many people volunteering for the first time and the potential to carry that ambition forward in their own community beyond 2012. 240,000 people applied for the 70,000 places and LOCOG is now offering roles to successful applicants. The response to the opportunity to nominate a torchbearer to carry the flame on the Olympic torch relay has also been hugely positive. More details, including the route through the South East, can be found at the following link:
	http://www.london2012.com/olympic-torch-relay
	The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has awarded contracts to over 233 direct suppliers in the South East. One of these suppliers is CIPD Publishing, based in Sittingbourne and Sheppey. Information on businesses that have directly supplied the ODA is available in the business section of the London 2012 website at the following link:
	http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/business-network/oda-suppliers/index.php
	This information does not include contracts further down the supply chain, in tiers two, three and so on, which are awarded by the tier one contractors and not by the ODA. Also, 431 contracts have been awarded to companies in the region through CompeteFor (the website where London 2012 contract opportunities are advertised).
	We are also committed to ensuring that the tourism industry maximises the economic benefits provided by the games. Including new money that has recently been announced from the GREAT campaign, plus private sector support, VisitBritain will invest around £127 million in a new international marketing programme. Over the next four years it is expected to deliver 4.6 million extra visitors from overseas and £2.27 billion in extra visitor spend.

Olympic Games 2012: Legacy

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport for what reasons the budget for the London 2012 Olympics ceremonies has been increased.

Hugh Robertson: The ceremonies for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase the very best of our country to up to 4 billion people around the world, and could be worth up to £5 billion in advertising value. To get the ceremonies absolutely right, and boost the games' business and tourism legacy, we are putting additional investment into the ceremonies.

Olympic Games 2012: Bournemouth

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations he has received on plans for the Olympic flame to pass through Bournemouth; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is responsible for the Olympic Torch Relay.
	Bournemouth will hold an Olympic Torch evening celebration on 13 July. The Olympic Torch Relay route has been devised after extensive consultation with representatives in each nation and region over the last two years, and will take the flame to within 10 miles of 95% of the population and within 20 miles of 99%.

EDUCATION

Buzz Off Campaign

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the use of mosquito devices; and if he will review the Children's Commissioner's Buzz Off campaign.

Tim Loughton: We are strongly opposed to mosquito devices being used to unfairly target children and young people. In my foreword to the ‘Positive for Youth’ policy statement (published on 19 December 2011), I encourage young people to “challenge the discriminatory and inappropriate use of ‘mosquito’ devices”. The statement also includes a case study which describes how, following representations from the member of the UK Youth Parliament for Sheffield, Sheffield city council voted unanimously to end the use of mosquito devices on all council buildings. Other local authorities that have taken similar action include Lancashire county council, Knowsley, Kent county council and Kirklees council—all as a result of successful campaigns by young people. We would support all councils taking a similar approach.
	We also welcome the Children's Commissioner's ‘Buzz Off’ campaign which has helped to bring the issue to the attention of young people and decision-makers.

Children: Disability

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department last conducted research on the number of (a) deaf blind and (b) multi-sensory impaired children.

Sarah Teather: The school census provides annual data on the number of pupils with multi-sensory impairment receiving support at school and as part of a statement of educational needs. This is published as part of the annual analysis of children with special educational needs. The most recent analysis was published on 19 October 2011 and is available on the DFE website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d001032/index.shtml
	A national audit of support services and provision for children with low incidence needs, including multi-sensory impairment was published in 2006 and is available on the DFE website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/sen/sen/data/a0013116/national-audit-of-low-incidence-special-educational-needs-support-services-and-provision
	In addition, the Department funds the National Sensory Impairment Partnership to support local areas to improve outcomes for children with sensory impairments. Their work includes information sharing and benchmarking of local needs and services. More information is available at:
	www.natsip.org.uk

Child: Protection

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has any plans to request Ofsted to investigate arrangements for safeguarding deaf children.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 5 December 2011
	Ministers have no plans to make such a request. The Government are committed to delivering a new, more streamlined and proportionate, inspection framework for safeguarding children, which will take account of the recommendations from Professor Eileen Munro's review of child protection, by May 2012.
	Ofsted's new inspection framework is currently being developed and will focus on the effectiveness of all services to safeguard children, including deaf children. It will be for inspectors to identify any issues in relation to safeguarding arrangements for deaf children and, where appropriate, highlight these in inspection reports.

Children's Centres

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the (a) minimum and (b) optimum number of Sure Start children's centres needed to constitute a network of children's centres across the country.

Sarah Teather: The Department has not made a formal estimate of either the minimum or the optimum number of Sure Start children's centres, as this is the role of individual local authorities.
	Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that there are a sufficient number of children's centres to meet local needs. The configuration of children's centres is for local authorities to decide in consultation with their local communities. This Government want to retain a network of Sure Start children's centres, accessible to all families but focused on those in greatest need.
	The Government will shortly be consulting on revised statutory guidance on children's centres and will be seeking views on whether that guidance clarifies the statutory duties appropriately.

Children’s Centres: Finance

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2011, Official Report, column 441W, on children's centres: finance, (a) when and (b) where his Department published expenditure by local authorities on children's centres.

Sarah Teather: Financial reports on local authority planned budgets for their education and children's services functions, including children's centres, for 2011-12 were published by the Department for Education on 15 September 2011.
	They are available on the Department's website at the following address:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/statistics-by-topic/schoolandlafinance/a00196758/financialreportsonlaplannedbudgetsforeducationandsocailcare

Children’s Centres: Leicester

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department plans to allocate to children's centres in Leicester South constituency in each of the next four years.

Sarah Teather: Since April 2011, funding for children's centres has been included within the Early Intervention Grant (EIG). The allocation for 2011-12 and the indicative allocation for 2012-13 for Leicester city council are shown in the following table. Funding beyond March 2013 is subject to future announcements.
	The EIG is an un-ring-fenced and un-hypothecated funding stream that gives local authorities flexibility to target resources strategically and to intervene early to improve outcomes for children, young people and families. It is up to local authorities to judge how best to use this funding in consultation with local communities, taking account of local need and evidence of what is most effective. Local authorities have statutory duties under the Childcare Act 2006 to provide sufficient children's centres to meet local need so far as is reasonably practicable, and to ensure there is consultation before opening, closing or making significant changes to services through children's centres.
	
		
			  Early Intervention Grant (£) 
			 2011-12 18,584,125 
			 2012-13 19,360,725

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: Potential internal audit tasks are identified and prioritised on an iterative basis using a system of high level risk assessments across all key business areas. These assessments result in weighted scores for key risks areas including financial, reputational, delivery capacity and capability. Those business areas with the highest scores are prioritised for audit attention. Other sources of assurance are also taken into account to avoid potential duplication and nugatory work.
	Identification of new and key business areas are identified through discussions with management and review of documentation such as business plans, budget plans, and ministerial submissions.
	Internal audit services within the non-departmental public bodies will also be conducted on a risk-based approach, but they are directed and managed by the individual accounting officers and hence we do not have access to more specific information.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible plan to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education's and its public bodies' caterers are contracted to comply with Government Buying Standards for food and catering services. Calorie labelling forms part of an evolving strategy to offer a choice of diet to our staff. From December 2011 the Department's caterer will be trialling a range of food that offers low to high glycaemic index value and as part of this process calorific information will be displayed on menu boards.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps the food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible are taking to ensure the country of origin of foods are labelled on its menus and display boards.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education's and its public bodies' caterers are contracted to adhere to the Government Buying Standards for food and catering services. In line with the standards the Department's caterer has started to use menu boards to identify whether food is UK produced or imported. We will continue to work with our caterers to improve the degree and quality of the information provided.

Official Hospitality

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in each of the last 12 months.

Tim Loughton: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), and Ministers hosted a number of events over the last 12 months at which hospitality was provided. The total amount spent was £2,438.
	The total spend on ministerial official hospitality by the Department for Education and its predecessor in each of the last three financial years is:
	2008-09: £4,763
	2009-10: £8,998
	2010-11: £3,625.
	All expenditure is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Risk Assessment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what risk registers are held by the public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: Non-departmental public bodies are required to manage risk in accordance with the HMT Management of Risk: Principles and Concepts (the Orange Book) and any departmental risk management policy and guidance. They are not required to share the risk registers with the Department for Education. However as part of the Department's sponsorship role non-departmental public bodies do discuss their risks with the Department.
	Assurance of risk handling is provided by each non-departmental public body through the Statement of Internal Control which forms part of the published annual report and accounts.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 session to date.

Tim Loughton: The information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number Percentage 
			 Responded to within 10 days 1,745 48 
			 Responded to between 11 to 20 days 699 19 
			 Responded to between 21 to 30 days 426 12 
			 More than 30 days to respond 802 21 
			 Total 3,672 100 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide this information to the committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009/10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Education Capital Review

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to publish a full response to the James Review of capital funding.

Nick Gibb: A full response to the James Review of capital funding will be published early in 2012.

Pre-school Education: Hampshire

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of children in East Hampshire constituency eligible for free nursery places announced in (a) 2010 for the most disadvantaged and (b) the Autumn Statement for less-advantaged two-year-olds.

Sarah Teather: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in the Autumn Statement that the early education entitlement for two-year-olds will be expanded to around 260,000 children. The Government intend to take a phased approach to the implementation of the new entitlement. The 20% most disadvantaged two-year-olds will be eligible from September 2013. From 2014, the entitlement will be extended to around 40% of two-year-olds.
	The Government have published indicative figures for how many children will be eligible in each local authority area in the first phase of the entitlement in 2013. These are available as part of the current Early Education and Childcare consultation, at the following link:
	www.education.gov.uk/consultations
	Our figures are to the nearest hundred, and we estimate that around 2,100 two-year-olds in Hampshire, and less than 100 in East Hampshire district, will be eligible for the entitlement in 2013.
	We will publish further proposals in due course on eligibility criteria to reach 40% of two-year-olds from 2014.

Pre-school Education: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many disadvantaged two-year-olds will be eligible for free nursery care in (a) Pendle and (b) East Lancashire under his proposals.

Sarah Teather: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in the Autumn Statement that the early education entitlement for two-year-olds will be expanded to around 260,000 children. The Government intend to take a phased approach to the implementation of the new entitlement. The 20% most disadvantaged two-year-olds will be eligible from September 2013. From 2014, the entitlement will be extended to around 40% of two-year-olds.
	The Government have published indicative figures for how many children will be eligible in each local authority area in the first phase of the entitlement in 2013. These are available as part of the current Early Education and Childcare consultation, at the following link:
	www.education.gov.uk/consultations
	We estimate that around 200 two-year-olds in Pendle borough, and 2,700 in Lancashire, will be eligible for the entitlement in 2013.
	We will publish further proposals in due course on eligibility criteria to reach 40% of two-year-olds from 2014.

Schools: Freedom of Information

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost to schools of responding to requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 8 December 2011
	The Department has made no estimate of the costs of FOI to schools. The cost of FOI to public authorities generally forms part of the consideration of the post-legislative scrutiny of the Act announced by the Ministry of Justice on 7 January this year.

Special Educational Needs: Children

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  if he will publish the representations received by his Department on the information contained in its publication, Children with Special Educational Needs 2011: an analysis;
	(2)  what representations he has received to request that (a) local authority indicators and (b) regional level data not be compiled for his Department's publication Children with Special Educational Needs 2011: an analysis.

Sarah Teather: The Department received two items of feedback on the publication ‘Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) 2010: an analysis'. This feedback shaped the content of the equivalent 2011 release. It included requests to retain the summary of key findings for each chapter, to limit the information displayed in cluttered charts and to give less emphasis on pupils in special schools with no SEN or at School Action for which numbers were very small.
	The feedback also included requests for data on progression by school type and historic data on numbers of pupils with each primary type of SEN by age. The data were supplied to the correspondents separately. The Department has no plans to publish this correspondence in the public domain.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Minerals

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking together with the Afghan Government to prevent exploitation of Afghanistan's mineral wealth.

Andrew Mitchell: Afghanistan's mineral resource wealth is central to its long-term prosperity. The Department for International Development (DFID) is actively engaged in helping the Government undertake major reforms in order to maximise the benefits of these natural resources to the local economy and the Afghan people. DFID provides support to the Afghan Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Secretariat, to help ensure greater accountability and openness in the industry. DFID also provides technical expertise to the Ministry of Mines, helping to generate international investment that includes a fair deal for the Government of Afghanistan and brings about long term economic growth and jobs for local communities.

Commonwealth Development Corporation

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to improve the (a) transparency levels and (b) future ranking in the Transparency Index of the Commonwealth Development Corporation.

Andrew Mitchell: CDC's new high-level business plan published in June 2011 contained a commitment to increased levels of disclosure and transparency. As a result, CDC now publishes information on the businesses where its capital is at work, the fund managers it works with and the funds investing its capital. It also publishes data on staff remuneration and operating costs. CDC has also recently become a signatory to the International Aid Transparency Initiative, the first bilateral development finance institution to do so.
	I would expect these improvements to be reflected in CDC's future ranking in the Transparency Index.

Commonwealth Development Corporation

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he expects the Commonwealth Development Corporation to begin providing information on the in-country businesses invested in by its fund managers.

Andrew Mitchell: CDC publishes a complete list of in-country businesses invested in by its fund managers on its website:
	www.cdcgroup.com
	including the sector and country of each business. This information is updated annually. CDC currently has no plans to publish additional information about in-country businesses.

Commonwealth Development Corporation

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure that the Commonwealth Development Corporation (a) meets international standards for aid transparency set out in the International Aid Transparency Initiative and (b) publishes information at (i) organisation level, (ii) country level and (iii) activity level.

Andrew Mitchell: CDC became a signatory to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) on 30 November and will begin to publish data in an IATI compliant format in the second quarter of 2012,
	CDC publishes organisational information on its website:
	www.cdcgroup.com
	along with country and sector information about the fund managers it works with, the funds CDC invests in and the businesses receiving CDC investment.

Commonwealth Development Corporation

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to improve the transparency of the Commonwealth Development Corporation.

Andrew Mitchell: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Bow (Rushanara Ali) on 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 147W.

Food Procurement

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on food purchased through its food and catering services in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development's (DFID) two staff restaurants have operated under contract to Mitie Technical Facilities Management since December 2010. The catering section of this contract is run on a non-subsidised basis and therefore DFID is not responsible for procuring any food for its two United Kingdom offices.

Consultants

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on private sector consultants since May 2010, broken down by (a) company, (b) project and (c) country budget.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) introduced the central Government tracking process for consultancy in May 2010. Consultancy is subject to a stringent business case process and only approved where it is deemed to be an operational necessity. DFID spend on consultancy from May 2010 to the end of November 2011 is £2 million. The following table provides consultancy expenditure (with a value of £20,000 or above) aggregated by supplier and spend. Further detail on project titles and country budgets is not readily available and would incur disproportionate cost to provide.
	
		
			 Supplier Spend (£000s) 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 254 
			 Hawkpoint Partners Limited 282 
			 Mr. Philip Powell-Davis 75.5 
			 Coffey International Limited 87.1 
			 The Crown Agents for Overseas Governments and Administrations Ltd 66.3 
			 Minerva Advisory Group 66.1 
			 Turner & Townsend PLC 64.2 
		
	
	
		
			 Herbert Smith LLP 58.4 
			 GBRW Limited 33.8 
			 Opin Systems Limited 33.5 
			 Social Development Direct Limited 27.5 
			 International Organisation Development Limited 27.2 
			 Wren Media Limited 24.9 
			 Accenture PLC 23.4 
			 Wind Business Support (Trading Name) 20.3

Departmental Manpower

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people were working in his Department on (a) 11 May 2010 and (b) 8 December 2011.

Alan Duncan: The number of people working in the Department for International Development on 11 May 2010 and 8 December 2011 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  11 May 2010 8 December 2011 
			 Home Civil Servant Staff 1,634 1,652 
			 Staff Appointed In Country Staff 771 816

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's budget is allocated to work relating to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government's four-yearly spending review set a budget of £2.9 billion for climate finance for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15, known as the International Climate Fund (ICF). The Department for international Development's (DFID) share of the ICF is £1.8 billion, amounting to 4.66% of the overall DFID budget for the current spending review period.
	The ICF will fund both multilateral and bilateral UK climate spending and will aim for a balanced allocation between adaptation (50%), low carbon development (30%) and forestry (20%). This split will be kept under review.

Development Aid

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the development of an official development assistance monitoring strategy.

Andrew Mitchell: I have frequent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on development issues and Britain is committed to helping the poorest in the world.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for reporting all UK official development assistance (ODA) and receives regular monitoring reports from other Government Departments on their ODA expenditure.
	DFID is on track to achieve the structural reform plan commitment to develop and implement an ODA monitoring strategy with the Treasury to ensure all Departments meet agreed contributions to UK ODA targets by March 2015. DFID and Treasury officials meet regularly to discuss progress.
	DFID's report on Statistics for International Development (SID) gives full information on all UK ODA each year and can be found on
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Dominican Republic: Drugs

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to support the Dominican Republic in its counter-narcotics campaign.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development does not have a bilateral aid programme in the Dominican Republic and therefore we are not supporting the counter-narcotics campaign there. Our current support on counter-narcotics in the Caribbean is focused on Jamaica and the eastern Caribbean.

EU External Trade: Cocoa

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the development of a new European standard for sustainable and traceable cocoa will take into account the interests of smallholder cocoa producers in developing countries and ensure they are consulted and involved in the standard setting process; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: I agree that the interests of smallholder cocoa producers should be considered in any new standard for sustainable and traceable cocoa. However, the proposed new European standard for sustainable and traceable cocoa would be developed by the standards body for the industry itself. This body is independent.

International Conferences: Sustainable Development

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Department will have lead responsibility for the Rio plus 20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is the lead Department for the Rio plus 20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. DEFRA is working closely with other Government Departments, including the Department for International Development in preparing for the conference.

International Conferences: Sustainable Development

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department will attend the Rio plus 20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012.

Andrew Mitchell: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), is leading the UK's preparations for Rio plus 20 and has confirmed that she will attend. The Department for International Development (DFID) is working closely with DEFRA and other Government Departments in preparation for Rio plus 20. A decision has not yet been taken on attendance by DFID Ministers and officials. This decision will be taken in the new year.

Japan Tobacco International

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department have received hospitality from Japan Tobacco International since May 2010.

Andrew Mitchell: Details of all Ministers and special advisers' hospitality are available on the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/Public-data/
	and are published every quarter in the normal way.

Kashmir: Overseas Aid

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects his Department is sponsoring in Kashmir; and how much it has spent in Kashmir since May 2010.

Alan Duncan: UK aid to India and Pakistan supports national programmes that work in, and benefit, both Indian and Pakistan administered Kashmir. Our support to the Government of India’s universal primary education programme (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan) and National AIDS Control Programme includes Indian administered Kashmir. Our support to the Government of Pakistan’s National Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Programme also includes Pakistan administered Kashmir. The proportion of this aid spent in Indian and Pakistan administered Kashmir since May 2010 cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. UK bilateral aid to India in 2010-11 totalled £278.9 million while UK bilateral aid to Pakistan in 2010-11 totalled £202.9 million.
	UK aid has helped to rebuild bridges and schools in 2010-11 in Pakistan administered Kashmir as part of the Department for International Development’s (DFID’s) earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation programme. Many of these projects are now reaching completion, with spend in 2010-11 totalling almost £8 million—9% of the £84 million committed.
	Under our International Partnership Agreement Programme, DFID also provided £82,928 between April 2010 and November 2011 to support Save the Children’s work in Indian administered Kashmir.

Ministerial Visits

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what visits each Minister in his Department has made to each geographical region since May 2010.

Andrew Mitchell: Details of all Ministers’ overseas visits are available on the Department for International Development website
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Our-organisation1/Ministers/
	and are published every quarter in the normal way.

Overseas Aid

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's planned spending on Official Development Assistance (ODA) was for (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 prior to the Autumn Statement; and what its planned spending on ODA for each of those years now is.

Andrew Mitchell: In the recent autumn statement, the Government have recommitted itself to delivering 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) as ODA and meeting the ODA/GNI ratios as set out in the spending review.
	Because the Government needs less money to meet 0.7%, they reduced the amounts allocated to ODA and to DFID in particular. Our programme budget has been reduced by around £1.1 billion over the next three years. No changes are being made to administration or front line delivery budgets.
	The following table details the Department's planned spending on ODA per calendar year as set out in the 2010 spending review and the revised amounts since the autumn statement.
	
		
			 Calendar year ODA forecasts (in £ million) 
			  Original 2010 SR settlement Updated 2010 SR settlement 
			 2011 7,810 7,707 
			 2012 8,145 7,938 
			 2013 10,834 10,581 
			 2014 11,491 10,957

Overseas Aid

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much Official Development Assistance funding his Department allocated to each country in which the UK has a bilateral programme for (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 prior to the Autumn Statement; and how much such funding for each country in each of those years is now allocated.

Andrew Mitchell: Department for International Development's (DFID) programme allocations for each country for 2011-12 and 2012-13 are available in the annual report, (Annex B, Page 143, Table B.6):
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Site-search/?g=annual+report
	Further details on forward spending plans in individual programmes are available in Operational Plans also available on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	Following the autumn statement, our programme budget will reduce by £1.1 billion over the next three years. Our planning assumption is that we should still be able to deliver the set of results agreed in the Bilateral Aid Review, Multilateral Aid Review, Humanitarian Emergency Response Review and related processes. We have no immediate plans to adjust internal budgets, although we shall look further at this as part of the normal planning process in early 2012.

Overseas Aid

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much Official Development Assistance funding his Department allocated to each of the multilateral programmes it funds for (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 prior to the Autumn Statement; and how much such funding for each country in each of those years is now allocated.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides core funding to a large number of multilateral organisations. All this funding is related to performance. Allocations for 2013-14 will depend on an update to the Multilateral Aid Review which will take place in 2013. Allocations for other years are also indicative only, as they may be varied according to need as well as performance. These indicative allocations have not changed following the Autumn Statement.
	We have produced a table to show the breakdown of the indicative allocations of core funding through each multilateral organisation for 2011-12 and 2012-13. We will place a copy of the table in the House of Commons Library.
	This support is core, so the multilateral organisations decide on how it is allocated by country. As such, we are unable to provide the breakdown by country.

Overseas Aid

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  which of his Department's budgets will be affected by the announcement in the Autumn Statement of a reduction in funding as a result of the decrease in gross national income;
	(2)  what proportion of the reduction in his Department's budget announced in the Autumn Statement as a result of the decrease in gross national income will be taken from (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral programmes; and which projects will be cancelled.

Andrew Mitchell: At this stage, our planning assumption is that we should still be able to deliver the set of results agreed in the Bilateral Aid Review, Multilateral Aid Review, Humanitarian Emergency Response Review and related processes. We have no immediate plans to adjust internal budgets, although we shall look further at this as part of the normal planning process in the first quarter of 2012.

Overseas Aid: Agricultural

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much and what proportion of his Department's expenditure has been allocated to agricultural projects in each (a) region and (b) country in 2011-12; and how much has been allocated to each individual project.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development's (DFID) total and percentage expenditure allocated to agricultural projects in 2011-12 is not yet available as the breakdown of multilateral expenditure by sector is not reported until the following financial year.
	In 2011-12 the total bilateral expenditure allocated to agriculture is £136,904,067. A table detailing DFID's 2011-12 bilateral expenditure allocated to agriculture, by project and region/country, has been submitted to the House Library.

Thailand: Overseas Aid

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent reports he has received on the humanitarian situation in Mae Sot, Thailand.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) closely monitors the humanitarian situation along Thailand’s border with Burma, including in the town of Mae Sot. We are aware of the continuing needs of people displaced by long-term ethnic conflict in Burma’s border areas. In response, DFID is contributing towards the provision of food, shelter, other necessities and improved access to legal assistance to nearly 150,000 Burmese refugees in camps in Thailand. DFID also supports clinics in and near Mae Sot which provide medical services to Burmese people; and gives aid for basic health care, food security, improved sanitation and grants to help with the cost of schooling, for internally displaced people inside eastern Burma. The total cost of this programme over three years from 2009-12 will be more than £8 million.
	When the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), visited Burma in November, he pressed President Thein Sein and senior Burmese Ministers to move urgently towards a resolution of the ethnic conflicts and for improved humanitarian access in border areas.

DEFENCE

Aircraft Carriers

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the UK's carrier strike capability.

Nick Harvey: Nothing has changed since the Strategic defence and security review in that there is a strategic requirement for a future carrier strike capability. Our assessment that expeditionary airpower can be delivered through other means in the short-term was illustrated by the campaign in Libya, this also confirmed our assumption that working more closely with allies and partners is both possible and delivers more military capability.
	The strategic environment in the period after 2020 is far less certain. This is why the Government believe that a modern carrier capability, able to undertake a variety of roles such as power projection, peace keeping, conflict prevention and the provision of aid and assistance in times of crisis, will be required.

Aircraft Carriers

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the likely (a) cost of and (b) enhanced capability arising from the aircraft carrier programme.

Peter Luff: Our latest cost estimate for the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier programme is £5.2 billion. This figure is based on the current configuration of the carriers and does not include the additional costs of installing catapults and arrestor gear to enable it to operate the more capable carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter decision which will be taken next year. The costs of conversion are under investigation, but are currently estimated to be in the order of £1 billion.
	As part of a package of measures taken in the strategic defence and security review we have reduced overall spending on the Carrier Strike Programme by £4.4 billion over the next 10 years.

Defence Engagement Strategy

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on its defence engagement strategy; and when he plans to present the strategy to Parliament.

Philip Hammond: Work on the defence engagement strategy is very well advanced and I am expecting, in conjunction with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), to give formal approval to the strategy in the coming weeks, at which time it shall be announced to the House.

European Defence Agency

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the budget of the European Defence Agency.

Gerald Howarth: I represented the UK at the Defence Ministers' meeting in Brussels on 30 November, at which the European Defence Agency budget for 2012 was discussed. Our position in refusing to agree a budget increase resulted in the UK successfully securing a freeze on the European Defence Agency's budget for the second year running.

United States: Military Co-operation

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential effects on future military co-operation with the US of planned reductions in defence expenditure in that country.

Gerald Howarth: The scale and scope of US reductions in defence expenditure is yet to be determined, but the US is, and will remain, our pre-eminent bilateral defence and security partner, and will keep us closely informed of any changes that might affect our future military co-operation.

Royal Navy Training Systems

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the Royal Navy's new training systems on the efficiency of the fleet and availability of the UK's vessels.

Nick Harvey: The Royal Navy's new Maritime Composite Training System was unveiled on 20 October 2011. It will not affect the availability of the Royal Navy's vessels but will ensure that surface ships' warfare teams are better prepared to meet future challenges through the most efficient and effective training environment.

Basing Review

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the Scottish Government's submission to his Department's Basing review; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the submission.

Nick Harvey: We are grateful to the Scottish Government for the helpful and constructive way they conducted discussions around the Basing review, and for their continued close co-operation with us. The Scottish Government have been an extremely important partner for the Ministry of Defence throughout the Basing review.
	The Scottish Government’s submission on the Basing review was especially useful for the Department in fleshing out the consequences to the Scottish economy, and on local communities.
	The submission was published by the Scottish Government on its website on 20 June 2011, and is available at the following link:
	http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2011/06/20124743
	The document will be placed in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Females

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women joined the (a) Royal Air Force, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Army and at what rank in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The following tables provide information on the number of women who joined the armed forces in each year and by rank:
	
		
			  2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 
			 Royal Navy      
			 OF2 10 10 — 10 — 
			 OF1 40 50 40 40 40 
			 OF(Designate) 10 10 — — — 
			 OR4 0 10 20 10 10 
			 OR2/1 680 720 520 380 400 
			 Total(1) 740 790 580 460 460 
			       
		
	
	
		
			 Army (2)      
			 Officers 160 200 160 140 140 
			 Other Ranks 1,090 1,370 1,110 770 850 
			 Total 1,250 1,560 1,270 920 990 
			       
			 Royal Air Force (2)      
			 Officers 110 110 140 100 100 
			 Other Ranks 610 790 730 440 190 
			 Total 720 890 870 530 290 
		
	
	
		
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Royal Navy      
			 OF2 10 10 10 — — 
			 OF1 30 40 40 40 20 
			 OF(Designate) 10 10 — 10 — 
			 OR4 10 — — — — 
			 OR2/1 420 420 390 340 140 
			 Total(1) 470 490 440 390 170 
			       
			 Army (2)      
			 Officers 170 — — — — 
			 OF2 — 20 20 10 20 
			 OF1 — 20 20 20 20 
			 OF(Designate) — 100 90 90 80 
			 Other Ranks 970 — — 30 — 
			 OR6 — 10 — — — 
			 OR4 — 20 10 10 — 
			 OR3 — 20 10 10 — 
			 OR2/1 — 910 860 810 590 
			 Total 1,250 1,560 1,270 920 990 
			       
			 Royal Air Force (2)      
			 OF2 20 10 10 10 10 
			 OF1 90 80 110 70 60 
			 OR2/1 290 430 550 500 170 
			 Total 400 520 680 580 240 
			 (1) Due to rounding methods used, figures may not always equal the sum of the parts. (2) Breakdown by rank is not available prior to the introduction of JPA.

Armed Forces: Housing

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse was of official service residence for members of the (a) Royal Air Force, (b) Army and (c) Royal Navy in the last year for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: Under the official service residence arrangements, entitlement was linked to the post which an officer had been assigned, rather than to the individual who occupied it. For the financial year 2010-11, we have estimated that the total cost attributed to 26 official service residences is some £4.7 million. This includes rent, utilities, planned and unplanned maintenance, improvements, furniture and equipment, household staff, and official entertainment. It is important to note that many official service residences are grade listed buildings and protected by law. As a result they are often expensive to maintain whether they are occupied or not.
	Final costings for the financial year 2010-11 are currently being compiled.

Armed Forces: Housing

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers had a status entitling them to official service residence in the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy as at 1 December 2011.

Andrew Robathan: Under the official service residence (OSR) arrangements, entitlement was linked to the post which an officer had been assigned, rather than to the individual who occupied it. At the point at which the designation was abolished, there were 26 service appointments that had a requirement for the incumbent to occupy an OSR. Some of these posts will be open to officers from each of the services, such as the Chief of the Defence Staff, and there is therefore no division between the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force.

Armed Forces: Suicide

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 231W, on armed forces: suicide, how many suicides were recorded (a) among male veterans and (b) men in the UK aged under the age of 24 years in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: Further to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 231W, the Ministry of Defence does not hold overall figures for suicides among veterans.
	The latest figures for suicide and open verdict deaths for male army personnel aged 24 and under are for the period 2006-10, and are as follows:
	
		
			 Age Number 
			 Under 20 4 
			 20-24 6 
		
	
	We continue to treat the issue of self-harm very seriously and, for those in the army, the risk of suicide has been decreasing over the past 15 or so years. Current figures show that male Army personnel aged under 20 were at a 9% decreased risk of suicide compared to the general UK population, and male army personnel aged 20-24 at a 70% decreased risk.

Armed Forces: Wills

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many wills of service personnel were lost by his Department or the armed services in each of the last five years; and how many of these were of service personnel who died on operations.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 15 December 2011
	Since March 2011, the recording and processing of will information has been enhanced on the Joint Personnel Administration System giving greater assurance to the accuracy of will information held. The services will form has also been reviewed to ensure that that it remains fit for purpose.
	While the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not maintain a record of wills purported to be lost, it is aware of four cases since January 2007 where an updated will has been temporarily misplaced. There is no proven case of the MOD having lost a will.

Armed Forces: Young People

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of Army recruits aged (a) under 18 years and (b) 18 years and over completed Phase 2 training and entered the trained strength in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: The required information is not held in the format requested. While information is available on the number completing Phase 2 training each year, this is not held against date of birth and the requested information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the Army have conducted some work on the numbers leaving and completing training and have identified that in financial year 2010-11, 63.4% of under 18s completed Phase 2 training and 71.7% of those who enlisted over the age of 18 completed Phase 2 training.

Aviation: Licensing

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are in place to enable Royal Air Force pilots at the end of their commission to be exempted from any requirements in obtaining a private commercial pilot's licence.

Nick Harvey: Military pilots leaving the UK armed forces can receive credits towards private civilian pilot licences through the Qualified Service Pilot (QSP) scheme. The QSP scheme is administered by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the level of accreditation awarded is dependent upon the experience of the individual pilot.
	This scheme will cease in April 2012 when the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) becomes legally responsible for aviation legislation. Proposals for a new scheme are being developed in conjunction with CAA for approval by EASA.

Defence: Finance

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment his Department has made of the balance between commitments and revenues in the defence budget (a) now and (b) at the time of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Philip Hammond: At the time of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), the then Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), announced a shortfall between our programme and our budget of £38 billion based on the Department's previous policy assumptions. These were changed during the SDSR and, as a result, this figure does not bear comparison with the current situation.
	The then Secretary of State for Defence announced to Parliament on 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 643-5, that the actions taken since the SDSR had brought the Department's programme and budget broadly into balance. This has not changed.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: All Departments are required to provide internal audit services. The Ministry of Defence is required to provide an annual statement on governance and this requirement relies on the assurance levels, together with associated detail, provided by internal audit reports. The annual internal audit programme is compiled in the light of existing and changing processes, risks and any concerns expressed by managers. It is agreed by the Defence Audit Committee. Audits are carried out both routinely throughout the year and on an urgent, as-required, basis. For public bodies, similar arrangements apply except that they generally have separate audit committees.

Departmental Audit

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what codes of practice his Department follows when carrying out internal audits; and whether such audits are externally validated.

Andrew Robathan: Ministry of Defence internal auditors follow the code of ethics (integrity, objectivity, competence and confidentiality) and professional standards as required by the rules set out by the relevant professional body, The Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors. The internal audit department is evaluated by commercial external audit companies and/or by the National Audit Office, at least every five years.

Food Procurement

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on food purchased through its food and catering services in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 December 2011, Official Report, columns 750-51W, to the right hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr Murphy).

Departmental Communications

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) job titles and (b) job descriptions are of each of the (i) press officers and (ii) other public relations officers working in his Department.

Andrew Robathan: Communicators are employed across defence and the armed forces. They have an important task in explaining to the public, the media, our own people and other audiences—at local, regional, national and international levels—the role of defence, our activities, capabilities and operations.
	The latest centrally held records of communications posts are as at 31 March 2011. From this record we have extracted those declared as ‘press officers' and separately those identified through post titles as ‘public relations'. This information has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Post titles within defence have evolved over a number of years and are not standardised across the Ministry of Defence. Job descriptions are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The information placed in the Library of the House includes both military and civilian posts worldwide; they represent a reduction compared with the previous year; further savings have been made across the communications area during the course of the current financial year and more reductions are planned for future years.

Departmental Manpower

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed (a) directly and (b) indirectly by his Department and its contractors in (i) Castlemartin, (ii) Manorbier and (iii) the Territorial Army centre, Carmarthen.

Andrew Robathan: The following numbers of Ministry of Defence (MOD) and contractor personnel are employed at each of the sites:
	
		
			 Site MOD employees (civilian and military personnel) Contractor employees 
			 Castlemartin 6 58 
			 Manorbier 2 5 
			 Carmarthen Territorial Army Centre (Picton Barracks) 13 1 
		
	
	There are also currently 13 catering sub-contractor staff serving both Castlemartin and Penally ranges. The numbers of staff at each site will vary according to catering demand.

Official Visits

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what visits he has made in an official capacity in each year since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 18 October 2011
	All Defence Ministers seek to travel in the most cost-effective way possible.
	I refer the hon. Member to the quarterly publication of the cost of overseas travel for all Defence Ministers at the following address:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/FinancialReports/Expenses/MinistersHospitalityReceived.htm
	Information regarding the costs of UK travel by myself and my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. UK visits involve costs incurred by the Secretary of State's Private Office, his hosts, and others.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, columns 1293-94W, on departmental public expenditure, under what categories of cost within his Department’s efficiency programme he expects savings to be made for each of the next four financial years.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 15 December 2011
	The Ministry of Defence is aiming to make efficiency savings under the following categories during the next four financial years:
	Changes to Civilian Terms and Conditions of Service
	Manpower Reductions (Service and Civilian)
	Estates Rationalisation
	Organisational Restructuring
	Restructuring of Training Organisations
	Reducing Ministry of Defence Police and Guards Agency running costs
	Asset Sales
	Centralisation and Rationalisation of provision of manning, legal and chaplaincy services
	Contractorisation

Departmental Publications

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2011, Official Report, column 602W, on departmental publications, whether the Strategy for Defence, October 2011 was produced by employees of his Department or by an outside contractor; how many working hours were required to produce the document; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether anyone other than those individuals named was sent a copy of The Strategy for Defence, October 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: Ministry of Defence (MOD) employees spent a total of 46 hours on the design, graphics production, and layout of the Strategy for Defence. The printing was conducted by an MOD contractor.
	Only those individuals that I mentioned in my answer of 25 November 2011, Official Report, column 602W, were sent a copy of the Strategy for Defence by the office of my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), and the Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Lord Astor of Hever). Additional copies were subsequently provided by the Ministry of Defence's Parliamentary Branch to other members of the Defence Select Committee.

Depleted Uranium

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to cease using depleted uranium in ammunition.

Nick Harvey: The Government's continuing policy is that depleted uranium can be used within weapons; it is not prohibited under current or likely future international agreements. UK armed forces use all munitions in accordance with international humanitarian law.

European Fighter Aircraft

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 5 September 2011, Official Report, column 84W, on European fighter aircraft, what assumptions his Department used in the calculations of the 25-year net present value for (a) RAF Lossiemouth and (b) RAF Leuchars.

Nick Harvey: The calculations of the 25-year net present value of the relative costs of operating Typhoon from either RAF Lossiemouth or RAF Leuchars were based on assumptions covering a wide range of aspects. These included personnel, infrastructure, running costs, parenting costs for lodger units, relocation, the draw-down of the Tornado fleet and the build up of the Typhoon fleet, and the relevant operational factors for operations at both RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Leuchars.

Ex-servicemen: Employment

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the 2010 survey by the Career Transition Partnership on the employment destinations of service leavers.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 15 December 2011
	The Ministry of Defence does not produce a report on the employment destinations of service leavers. However, our commercial partner surveys each service leaver who has accessed the services of the Career Transition Partnership at the six month point after discharge. The results obtained allow for graphical representation. A copy of this document has been placed in the Library of the House.

Falkland Islands

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has assessed the UK's defence capability in the Falkland Islands since the recent comments by the Argentine Government on the Islands.

Nick Harvey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 December 2011, Official Report, column 797W, to the hon. Member for New Forest East (Dr Lewis).

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2011, Official Report, column 875W, on Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, 
	(1)  if he proposes that the Medical Assessment Programme will continue to treat Gulf War veterans who present themselves with physical health problems;
	(2)  if the Medical Assessment Programme will continue to retain the full range of services it previously offered;
	(3)  if the (a) terms and (b) scope of the Medical Assessment Programme have changed; and if he will place in the Library the Programme's terms of reference.

Andrew Robathan: As set out in the answer of 18 October 2011, Official Report, column 875W, the Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s medical assessment programme is staffed by a consultant psychiatrist. This has been the case since 2006 for the reason that the number of physical health patient referrals from GPs had declined to a very low level and such queries were normally referred back to the NHS. The MOD continues to provide advice should a GP or 1990-91 Gulf veteran require information on Gulf health issues.
	In his report on veterans' mental health care, the hon. Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), recommended that the medical assessment programme should continue as the feedback from veterans is that it continues to provide a valuable service while NHS mental health services for veterans are being further developed across the UK. Full details about the service offered by the Medical Assessment Programme are available on the MOD's website, at the following link:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/ HealthandSafety/GulfVeteransIllnesses/TheMedical AssessmentProgramme.htm
	A copy of this information has been placed in the Library of the House.

Harrier Aircraft

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answers of 7 December 2011, Official Report, column 384W, on Harrier aircraft, if he will publish the memorandum of understanding (MOU) referred to; what similar MOUs the UK has agreed with other countries concerning UK defence assets; what the content is of those MOUs; which two non-MOU countries expressed an interest in the Harrier aircraft; who undertook the relevant analysis to establish the value of the sale of those aircraft; and who retains the intellectual property rights for those aircraft.

Peter Luff: The memorandum of understanding (MOU), between Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States concerning co-operation in post-production support of Harrier aircraft was signed in 2004. It is not our policy to publish such agreements.
	I will write to the right hon. Member concerning the information on MOUs that are similar to the Harrier MOU.
	I am withholding information on the states that expressed an interest as the disclosure of this information would or would be likely to prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and those states.
	Officials from the Ministry of Defence's Disposal Services Authority and Harrier project team jointly undertook analysis and provided advice to establish the value of the sale of the Harrier aircraft.
	Intellectual property rights for these aircraft are retained by a number of companies: primarily BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what flight test instrumentation has been purchased for the F-35C aircraft; and what the cost was to the public purse.

Peter Luff: No flight test instrumentation has been purchased for the F35C aircraft.

MODPGA: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the contribution of Ministry of Defence police to the security of the defence estate in Scotland.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) attaches very high importance to the role played by the MOD police, and other security providers, in safeguarding its people, information and assets across the Defence estate, including its sites in Scotland.
	The MOD's single highest security priority continues to be the protection of the UK's nuclear deterrent, where a significant contribution is provided by MOD police officers based at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde and the Royal Naval Armaments Depot Coulport.

Nuclear Submarines

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to refurbish the Rolls-Royce nuclear submarine reactor core plant at Raynesway, Derby; and what the cost to the public purse is of any such refurbishment.

Peter Luff: We are working with Rolls-Royce on plans to refurbish the facilities at Raynesway in Derby over the period 2012 to 2022.
	The Ministry of Defence is in commercial negotiations regarding this work; I am therefore withholding cost information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2011, Official Report, column 833W, on nuclear weapons, how much his Department is planning to spend on collaboration with the US Administration on studies on the development of the W88 nuclear warhead.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 March 2011, Official Report, column 833W. The UK is collaborating with the US on a broad range of nuclear issues of mutual interest including US plans for the refurbishment or replacement of non-nuclear components within their W88 nuclear warhead. For the UK, collaboration with the US on the non nuclear components of their W88 programme ensures the sustainability of our own technical knowledge and skills which will assist the assessment of options to inform any future UK warhead decision.
	Some £3.5 million is expected to be spent on this collaboration over the next three years.

Radiation Exposure

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) current and (b) former Ministry of Defence sites have been found to be radioactively contaminated; and what the suspected cause of radiation is in each case.

Andrew Robathan: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, details of sites identified by our Land Quality Assessment (LQA) are listed as follows. In each of these cases the principal source of contamination was found to be radium-226, a low-level contaminant.
	Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites:
	Stirling Lines
	RAF Shawbury
	RAF Henlow
	RAF Kinloss
	RM Condor
	RAF Little Rissington
	RS Anthorn
	Machrihanish
	Stirling Forthside
	RAF Newton—(part of the site has been disposed of, the remainder is due to be sold)
	Sites disposed of by the MOD:
	Former DARA Almondbank and Fleetlands
	HMS Daedalus
	Where a site has been disposed of by the MOD, the purchaser would have received an LQA report outlining the extent of any known contamination, and this will have been reflected in the sale price.

Radioactive Waste

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2011, Official Report, column 261W, on radioactive waste, for what reason the information identified in the answer as not held centrally and available only at disproportionate cost has subsequently been provided in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Andrew Robathan: The answer I gave on 26 October 2011, Official Report, column 261W, related to locations of the burial of radium fragments which is not held centrally.
	In response to a freedom of information request, the Ministry of Defence provided details of sites where soil contaminated with radium had been identified as part of the update to the 2010 UK Radioactive Waste Inventory, which is already in the public domain.

Red Arrows: Training

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours on average Red Arrows pilots flew (a) in flight training and (b) as flight trainers in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Nick Harvey: The Red Arrows 12-month season runs from 1 October to 30 September. The following table gives information for the average training hours flown by the Red Arrow pilots for the 2011 season.
	
		
			  Average flying training hours per Red Arrow pilot (1) 
			 2010  
			 October 5 
			 November 14 
			 December 1 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 18 
			 February 15 
			 March 22 
			 April 21 
			 May 22 
			 June 2 
			 July 0 
			 August 4 
			 September 4 
			 Total per pilot 128 
			 (1) Figures are rounded up to the nearest hour. 
		
	
	Pilots serving with the Red Arrows are not required to conduct flight training duties. Therefore no flying hours are recorded as flight trainers.

Service Personnel and Veterans Agency

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications to the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency relating to divorce, including pension sharing orders and transfers for calculating cash equivalent transfer values, are subject to a suspension of processing; when he expects those suspensions to be lifted; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: As at 14 December 2011, the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency had some 400 cash equivalent transfer valuation applications, and no pension sharing orders, that have been subject to suspension of processing. This is an issue common across all public sector schemes following pension changes announced in the 2011 Budget which led to the suspension of all such processing pending new guidance from the Government Actuaries Department on new actuarial factors.
	It is estimated that the suspension will be lifted early in the new year.
	Officials are prepared to consider making interim payments on a case by case basis until this issue is resolved.

Submarines: Females

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to encourage women in the Royal Navy to apply to serve on Vanguard and Astute-class submarines.

Philip Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friends the Members for Gosport (Caroline Dinenage) and for West Worcestershire (Harriett Baldwin).

World War II: Military Decorations

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans last met Commander Eddie Grenfell; and what plans he has to meet him in the future.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 15 December 2011
	I have not formally met Commander Grenfell, however, I did have a chance meeting with him during the launch of the Armed Forces Community Covenant in Winchester on 16 June 2011. I have no current plans to meet with him, but he, and his fellow campaigners, are very likely to be consulted during the forthcoming independent review of the rules governing the award of military medals.

World War II: Military Decorations

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the comments by Commander Eddie Grenfell on the contribution by the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans on 6 December 2011, Official Report, columns 51-58WH, on Arctic convoys.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 15 December 2011
	I am aware of the campaign for further recognition for those who served as part of the Arctic Convoys, and recognise that there are many veterans who feel very strongly about this matter.
	The Government have agreed that there should be a fresh review of the rules governing the award of military medals. This will be conducted by an independent reviewer with full consultation with interested parties. It will make use of all of the work already undertaken as a part of the Ministry of Defence’s earlier review but will have a broader scope and an independent lead. The scope of the review and who is to lead it are expected to be announced shortly.

World War II: Military Decorations

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what his policy is on the contribution by the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans on 6 December 2011, Official Report, columns 51-58WH, on Arctic convoys, and his statement that those who served did not face risks; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the risks taken by those who served on Arctic convoys.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 15 December 2011
	I urge the hon. Member to read the full extract of my statement of 6 December 2011, Official Report , columns 51-58WH, where I said
	“we pay tribute to the people in the Public Gallery who are showing the medals that they won through risk and rigour”.
	The Atlantic Star, which was intended to show recognition of service on the Arctic Convoys, reflects that principle. I have at no point claimed that those who served on the Arctic Convoys did not face risks.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Al-Qaeda: Prisoner Escapes

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the escape of al-Qaeda prisoners from Aden.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of reports of a prisoner escape in Aden and are seeking further details.

Daljit Singh Bittu

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Indian authorities on the case of Daljit Singh Bittu.

Jeremy Browne: We have not made any representations to the Indian authorities on the case of Daljit Singh Bittu. The hon. Member for Leicester South will understand that the British Government have no locus to intervene in India's judicial process.

Darinderpal Singh Bhullar

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Indian authorities on the case of Professor Darinderpal Singh Bhullar.

Jeremy Browne: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has not raised Mr Bhullar's case with the Indian authorities. However I have written to the Indian high commissioner, most recently on 7 November, reiterating the UK Government's strong opposition to the death penalty and urging the Indian authorities not to break their seven-year de facto moratorium on the death penalty. I also raised our concerns with then Indian Foreign Secretary Rao on 28 June, and with Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur on 5 July. We continue to urge the Government of India to establish a formal moratorium as a first step towards the abolition of the death penalty in India.

Departmental Manpower

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people were working in his Department on (a) 11 May 2010 and (b) 8 December 2011.

Henry Bellingham: We record the number of UK-based staff on a monthly basis. On 1 May 2010 we had approximately 5,000 UK-based staff. At 1 December 2011 we had approximately 4,550. The reduction results from making efficiencies in the corporate support functions in the UK, the transfer of some overseas support tasks from UK-based to locally-engaged staff and the civil service recruitment freeze.

Diplomatic Service: Languages

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many heads of mission are serving in overseas postings; and how many have completed the extensive level language qualification which is linked to additional remuneration.

Henry Bellingham: There are 142 bilateral heads of mission serving in overseas postings: 105 ambassadors and 37 high commissioners. Of the 142, 96 have been identified as having a language requirement and 72 have qualified in the necessary Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) language exams. Of the 72 bilateral heads of mission with exam records, 22 have passed the FCO Extensive exam, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages level C2, the most advanced level of fluency. All FCO officers serving overseas in speaker slots (Confidence, Operational or Extensive) are entitled to claim additional remuneration for the duration of their overseas posting, provided they have passed the appropriate examination.

Diplomatic Service: Languages

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what formal qualifications in languages are linked to additional remuneration for his Department’s staff.

Henry Bellingham: All Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) language exams are aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The following qualifications are linked to remuneration:
	FCO Extensive exam, CEFR level C2, the most advanced level of fluency.
	FCO Operational exam, CEFR level C1, roughly equivalent to degree level.
	FCO Confidence exam, CEFR level A2, enabling them to deal confidently with routine everyday issues in the foreign language.
	FCO Confidence and Operational examinations are validated by the Chartered Institute of Linguists.
	All FCO officers serving overseas in speaker slots (Confidence, Operational or Extensive) are entitled to claim additional remuneration for the duration of their overseas posting, provided they have passed the appropriate examination.

Diplomatic Service: Languages

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many HM ambassadors are serving in overseas postings; and of these how many have completed the extensive level language qualification which is linked to additional remuneration.

Henry Bellingham: There are 142 bilateral heads of mission serving in overseas postings: 105 ambassadors and 37 high commissioners. Of the 142, 96 have been identified as having a language requirement and 72 have qualified in the necessary Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) language exams. Of the 72 bilateral heads of mission with exam records, 22 have passed the FCO extensive exam, CEFR level C2, the most advanced level of fluency. All FCO officers serving overseas in speaker slots (confidence, operational or extensive) are entitled to claim additional remuneration for the duration of their overseas posting, provided they have passed the appropriate examination.

Kashmir: Conflict Prevention

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the South Asia Conflict Prevention Programme has spent in Kashmir in each year since 2007.

Alistair Burt: A total of £1,030,383 has been spent on Kashmir from the South Asia Conflict Pool since 2007. This is broken down as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2007-08 58,170 
			 2008-09 293,528 
			 2009-10 192,064 
			 2010-11: 486,621 
		
	
	The fluctuations in each year are due to differences in the number of project applications that are approved and completed in each financial year. The conflict pool is the mechanism by which the Government allocate resources for discretionary conflict prevention, stabilisation and peacekeeping activities and is managed jointly by the Department for International Development, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence.
	Conflict Pool activity does not contradict the long standing position of the UK on Kashmir; that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution to the situation in Kashmir or to mediate in finding one.

Kidnapping

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department have been kidnapped whilst on official business overseas in each of the last 10 years.

Henry Bellingham: There have been no Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials kidnapped while on official business overseas in the last 10 years. However, two Foreign FCO officials posted to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia were kidnapped in 2007 while on unofficial (private) travel. They were released after being held for 12 days.

Kidnapping

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on negotiation with overseas kidnappers.

Alistair Burt: We are prepared to talk to anyone who is in a position to help ensure the swift and safe release of a hostage. We do so in a way that is consistent with our long-standing policy of not making or facilitating substantive concessions to hostage-takers. We maintain this policy because we believe that to make substantive concessions such as paying ransoms would reward the act of hostage-taking and encourage future kidnaps of British nationals.

Lord's Resistance Army

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the Lord's Resistance Army's activities in (a) the Central African Republic, (b) the Democratic Republic of Congo, (c) South Sudan and (d) Uganda.

Henry Bellingham: We receive regular reports on the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) from our diplomatic missions covering these countries, and through bodies such as the UN.
	The most credible recent information suggests that 250 to 300 LRA fighters remain, scattered in small units across the region. While its numbers have been much reduced over the past decade because of military action (led by Uganda) and progress with demobilisation and repatriation under UN auspices in some areas, the LRA remains a destabilising force and a threat to civilian populations.

Nigeria: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the UK’s relationship with Nigeria; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: The UK enjoys good relations with Nigeria, including through historic, cultural and economic ties. Our mission in Nigeria is one of the largest in sub-Saharan Africa, with a high commission in Abuja and a deputy high commission in Lagos. The Prime Minister visited Nigeria in July 2011, accompanied by the Minister of State for Trade and investment, my noble Friend, Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, and the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), to develop and promote our relationship. The key elements of this are boosting bilateral trade, investment and growth; encouraging good governance and democratic practice; aiding development; and supporting Nigerian security architecture to combat both national and international threats. The bilateral communiqué from the Prime Minister’s visit sets out the critical parts of the British Government’s policy towards Nigeria. It can be found online at:
	www.number10.gov.uk/news/communique-on-nigeria-trade-mission/

Nigeria: Kidnapping

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens have been kidnapped in Nigeria in each of the last five years.

Henry Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office cannot provide an exact figure as not every case is brought to our attention, but our records show the number of kidnap and abductions involving British nationals in Nigeria in the past five years as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2006 14 
			 2007 8 
			 2008 5 
			 2009 4 
			 2010 2 
			 2011 3

Saudi Arabia: Human Rights

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will assess the most recent report by Amnesty International on human rights violations in Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Amnesty International report on Saudi Arabia summarises the current human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. It covers the draft anti-terror law, detentions and trials and freedom of expression. Our embassy in Riyadh has been engaged in a dialogue with the Saudi Arabian Government on these issues for some time. There is widespread acceptance in the Saudi Government and Saudi human rights organisations that the draft anti-terror law is unsuitable in its present form: the current draft is extremely unlikely to pass into law. Our embassy has raised the issue of arbitrary detentions with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice and has been given permission to attend a forthcoming terror trial.
	We have asked the Saudi authorities for more information with regard to the case referred to in the report which concerns 16 men convicted under anti-terror legislation to sentences ranging from five to 30 years, before we determine our next course of action. Freedom of expression concerns largely relate to the periods of unrest in the Eastern Province this year. Following the most recent outbreak of unrest in November, we note the Saudi Arabian Government issued a statement that security forces have been instructed to exercise restraint. We welcome the willingness of Saudi Arabian human rights organisations to engage with Amnesty on human rights concerns, which will raise awareness of the progress made by Saudi Arabia to date and give greater clarity on the requirements for further reform.

Saudi Arabia: Human Rights

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Saudi Arabia on human rights.

Alistair Burt: I discussed human rights in Saudi Arabia during my visit there on 26-27 April 2011, when I met Dr Bandar Al-Aiban, chairman of the Saudi Arabian Human Rights Commission, an organisation that works closely with the Saudi Arabian Government on human rights issues. I had a frank and honest discussion with Dr Al-Aiban, making no secret of the UK's concerns on the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. The treatment of women, the application of the death penalty and the status of foreign workers were all raised. On 5 July, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), met the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister, Prince Saud, to discuss a range of issues, including women's rights. I travelled to Saudi Arabia on 23 November and discussed a wide range of human rights issues. In addition, our ambassador and the embassy team in Riyadh have raised human rights concerns with the Saudi Arabian Government, bilaterally and through the European Union.

Sikhs

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to meet representatives of the Sikh community to discuss the case of Professor Darinderpal Singh Bhullar.

Jeremy Browne: I have no plans at present to meet representatives of the Sikh community to discuss Mr Bhullar's case. However, we continue to follow Mr Bhullar's case closely and have made clear to the Indian authorities our concerns about the possible resumption of executions in India, which would end their seven-year de facto moratorium on the death penalty.

Somalia: Kidnapping

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department is taking steps to reduce instances of kidnapping of British citizens in (a) Somalia and (b) other developing countries.

Alistair Burt: The safety of British nationals abroad is of paramount concern for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We provide information through our travel advice to help British nationals make informed decisions about their safety when travelling abroad. Where we assess that there is a specific threat of kidnap in a country, we will advise accordingly. We currently advise against all travel to Somalia. We maintain a policy of not paying ransoms to terrorists, as to pay ransoms would reward the act of hostage-taking and encourage future kidnaps of British nationals.

Somalia: Kidnapping

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of British citizens being kidnapped in Somalia in each of the last 10 years.

Alistair Burt: We do not have an exact figure as not every case is brought to our attention, but our records show the number of kidnaps and abductions involving British nationals in Somalia as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 0 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 0 
			 2006 0 
			 2007 0 
			 2008 2 
			 2009 2 
			 2010 1 
			 2011 1

Somalia: Piracy

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to the international community of piracy off the coast of Somalia in terms of (a) financial losses borne by shipping companies and (b) expenditure on military and naval operations.

Henry Bellingham: The turnover of the British shipping industry is worth £10.7 billion of our national GDP. Nearly $1 trillion of trade to and from Europe travelled through the Gulf of Aden in 2008 and this is the second busiest international trade route in the world. One World Future has estimated that piracy could be costing the global economy up to $12 billion a year in direct costs and indirect costs such as increased insurance premiums.
	There has been no estimate of the international community's total expenditure on counter-piracy operations. Expenditure on military and naval operations is borne by the contributing state. For UK contributions, the cost for counter-piracy operations is a component of the annual operating costs of the Royal Navy, on which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office holds no data. The average annual running costs of the EU's Operation Atalanta are €8 million per year, of which the UK contributes on average £700,000 per year.
	The British Government are playing a leading role in the counter-piracy operations at sea, and leading international work with regional countries to build penal, judicial and law enforcement capacities in support, with more than 1,000 pirates now in custody. The first line of defence remains self-defence measures by ships to minimise the risk of a successful hijack. But the long-term solution lies on land, with rule of law. increased stability and economic development.

South Sudan: Equality

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to promote equality in South Sudan.

Henry Bellingham: As a new nation state, South Sudan has the opportunity to put gender equality at the heart of its developing institutions. In addition to the Department for International Development's work, the British embassy is supporting women's active participation in peace-building and stabilisation initiatives, in particular, the mainstreaming of gender in South Sudan's police and security sector reform. There are some positive indicators of success, for example the fact that women police officers represent 50% of the police force in some of South Sudan's states.
	However, women are still under-represented in many areas of government and we are encouraging the Government of South Sudan to make it a priority to increase their involvement.

South Sudan: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the UK's relations with South Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: The Government are committed to supporting South Sudan to become a viable and peaceful state, underpinned by good governance, respect for human rights and an environment in which humanitarian assistance can reach all that need it. We are working closely with the Government in South Sudan and with our international partners in pursuit of those goals.
	We are concerned that progress is endangered by continuing internal conflicts as well as tensions with Sudan. We urge the Governments of South Sudan and Sudan to resolve their outstanding issues peacefully and are supporting the mediation efforts. We are also providing funding and support to conflict resolution within South Sudan.
	The British Government are providing over £90 million a year for the next four years to help the people of South Sudan. This funding will support international efforts to promote peace and stability in South Sudan. Specifically, our assistance will help build more accountable, inclusive and transparent government; deliver basic services such as education, clean water and healthcare; support economic growth; provide humanitarian relief; and improve security and access to justice.

Sri Lanka: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the UK's relations with Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK has a long and historic relationship with Sri Lanka and we continue to work with all interested parties on the shared objective of achieving lasting peace. The UK believes that the best way to achieve lasting and equitable peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka is through an inclusive political solution that addresses the underlying causes of the conflict and takes into account the legitimate grievances and aspirations of all Sri Lanka's communities.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Maria Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department have worked on the proposed reform of air passenger duty.

Chloe Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Central Ayrshire (Mr Donohoe) on 13 December 2011, Official Report, column 533W.

Air Passenger Duty

Maria Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to make further changes to the structure of air passenger duty up to 2015.

Chloe Smith: The Government set out their plans for the structure of air passenger duty in their response to consultation published on 6 December.

Air Passenger Duty

Maria Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the analysis of the costs and benefits of air passenger duty to the UK economy that his Department undertook to inform his response to the consultation on the reform of air passenger duty.

Chloe Smith: The Government received over 500 responses to the air passenger duty (APD) consultation, including analytical reports. Although the Government do not generally publish responses to consultations or the detailed policy advice to Ministers, the consultation document published in March 2011 recognised the important contribution of the aviation sector to the UK economy, while stressing the need to maintain revenues from the aviation sector. Decisions on the future structure of APD were taken in that context.

Air Passenger Duty

Maria Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons retention of a four band air passenger duty structure was not an option in his consultation document on reform of air passenger duty.

Chloe Smith: The consultation document on air passenger duty published at Budget 2011 included the base-case option of retaining the existing four band air passenger duty structure.

Business: Government Assistance

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which month businesses will start to receive investments through the funds in which the Government will invest in partnership with other investors.

Mark Hoban: The Government announced at the Autumn Statement that they will make available an initial £1 billion to invest through non-bank lending channels, through a Business Finance Partnership. This will focus initially on co-investment in loan funds that lend directly to mid-sized businesses in the UK.
	The Government published a document asking for expressions of interest in managing this co-investment on 6 December, and intend to issue a further, detailed specification in early 2012, and to request proposals to manage these funds. The Government intend to commit their first funding through the Business Finance Partnership in spring 2012.
	The month in which the first loans will be made to businesses by these funds will depend upon the length of time taken for fund managers to confirm private sector co-investment, and to identify suitable lending opportunities.

Carbon Sequestration

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the economic effect over the period to 2030 of a delay in the carbon capture storage programme until (a) 2016, (b) 2017, (c) 2018, (d) 2019 and (e) 2020 in (i) each region of England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland.

Charles Hendry: I have been asked to reply.
	On 1 December DECC published The Carbon Plan which sets out the Government's plans for achieving the emission reductions committed to in the first four carbon budgets, consistent with meeting the 2050 target.
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/tackling/carbon_plan/carbon_plan.aspx
	The scenarios modelled in this plan show that by 2030 new nuclear could contribute 10 to 15 GW, with up to 20 GW achievable if build rates are higher; fossil fuel generation with CCS could contribute as much as 10 GW; and renewable electricity could deliver anywhere between 35 and 5 GW—depending on assumptions about costs and build rates. However, it is too early to predict which will be the most cost-effective decarbonisation route for the power sector.
	The CCS programme is currently being designed and will be launched as soon as possible. It will only be possible to determine the regional impact of the CCS programme once the selection process for new projects has been completed and the location of projects is known.

Carbon Sequestration

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effect of a delay to the carbon capture storage programme on employment in (a) each region of England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Charles Hendry: I have been asked to reply.
	The CCS programme is currently being designed and will be launched as soon as possible. It will only be possible to determine the regional impact of the CCS programme on employment once the selection process for new projects has been completed and the location of projects is known.

Care Quality Commission: Pay

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many special severance payments have been notified to HM Treasury by the Care Quality Commission in each of the last three years.

Danny Alexander: HM Treasury received two special severance payment cases from the Care Quality Commission in 2011, three in 2010 and one in 2009.

Cash Dispensing

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which meetings (a) he, (b) other Ministers in his Department and (c) senior officials in his Department have had with (i) the British Banking Association, (ii) Lloyds Bank, (iii) Barclays and (iv) Royal Bank of Scotland to discuss changes to use of cash point machines; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with, and receive representations from, a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the usual policy making process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such representations.

Departmental Civil Proceedings

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which organisations that have received funding from his Department have brought legal proceedings against his Department in the last five years; which such organisations were not successful in their actions; and whether his Department (a) applied and (b) was paid for costs in respect of such cases.

Chloe Smith: There were no legal proceedings brought against the Treasury by organisations that have received funding from it.

Departmental Internet

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ensure that his Department's website is updated to include meetings he and Ministers in his Department have had since March 2011.

Chloe Smith: holding answer 12 December 2011
	Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations held since March 2011 are available on the HM Treasury website at the following address:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Departmental Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

Chloe Smith: The Treasury does not keep a central record of the information that has been requested and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the figure for the total amount spent on legal services for the financial year 2010-11was £3,945,452.98. All recorded cases, including judicial reviews, are a matter of public record and are published widely, including online, for example on the website of the British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII).

Departmental Manpower

Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were working in his Department on (a) 11 May 2010 and (b) 8 December 2011.

Chloe Smith: The Treasury undertakes an analysis of its work force on a monthly basis at the end of each month. The number of people who were working in HMT on 30 April 2010 and 30 November 2011 was 1,364.09 full-time equivalents (FTE) and 1,132.25 FTE respectively.

Departmental Publications

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) leaflets, (b) posters and (c) reports his Department has published since May 2010; how much each cost; and which company (i) published and (ii) designed each.

Chloe Smith: The Treasury has not produced any leaflets or posters since May 2010.
	Since May 2010, the Treasury has published around 199 documents which are all available on its website. The Stationery Office are used to publish House of Commons and Command Papers. All documents published by both TSO and the Treasury are designed and typeset by the in-house team at the Treasury.
	It is not always possible to separate out the exact costs of a specific publication from overall publications costs. In line with wider Government practice, any individual publishing projects exceeding £25,000 are listed separately on the Treasury website.

Domestic Visits: Schools

Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his Department's policy that when an official from his Department visits a school the local education authority is informed in advance.

Chloe Smith: Her Majesty’s Treasury does not have a standard policy about who should be informed when its officials visit a school. Visits are handled on a case by case basis.

Economic Situation

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on the economy of (a) the Royal Wedding of April 2011, (b) the industrial action of November 2011, (c) the winter weather of December 2010 and (d) Her Majesty's Jubilee celebrations holiday in 2012.

Chloe Smith: The Office for National Statistics is responsible for compiling statistics on the economy such as gross domestic product (GDP). In background briefing the ONS have provided their assessment of the effects on GDP of some of these events.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many policyholders have received payments from the Equitable Life Payment Scheme since June; how many payments have been made each month since June; and of what amounts.

Mark Hoban: The scheme will be publishing a report in the new year on the volumes and values of payments made.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Equitable Life policyholders had (a) received payments under the compensation scheme and (b) been contacted regarding compensation on the most recent date for which figures are available; what information his Department holds on the timetable for payments to be made under the compensation scheme; what steps have been taken to prioritise elderly policyholders; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The scheme will be publishing a report in the new year on the progress of the scheme and the volumes and values of payments made.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Executives

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who the most senior official is in charge of the Equitable Life Payment Scheme.

Mark Hoban: The scheme is delivered by NS&I on HM Treasury’s behalf. The most senior official at the Treasury in charge of the scheme is the Director Business and International Tax.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what calculations his Department makes to ascertain the effect of levels of fuel duty on low income households.

Chloe Smith: At Autumn Statement 2011, the Government published their latest distributional analysis of the expected impact of announced government measures on household incomes, split by direct taxes, indirect taxes and tax credits and benefits. This analysis includes the impact of the delay to the January 2012 fuel duty increase to August and the cancellation of the August 2012 increase. This document can be found on the Treasury's website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/as2011_documents.htm
	Charts 1.A and 1.B in this document show that the top income decile sees the largest reduction in income, both in cash terms and as a percentage of net income, and that cash losses are nearly 10 times that of the bottom decile.

Financial Ombudsman Service: Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent staff the Financial Ombudsman Service employed in 2010-11; how many it plans to employ in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The matters raised are for the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), whose day-to-day operations are independent from Government control and influence. I have asked the FOS to write to the hon. Member with the information requested. A copy of the response will be placed in the Library of the House.

Financial Services: EU Action

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (a) how many and (b) which of the current EU proposals on financial services he considers to pose a potential risk to the UK financial services sector.

Mark Hoban: The UK is continuing to lead international efforts to reform the financial sector, and effective EU legislation is essential in meeting our commitments. We have previously made clear our concerns with certain provisions of some EU proposals in this area—such as the maximum harmonised approach in the Capital requirements directive (CRD4) and third country access provisions across a range of dossiers including the European market Infrastructure regulation (EMIR) and the markets in financial instruments directive (MiFID).

Financial Services: EU Action

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of (a) how many and (b) which current EU proposals on financial services he has written to the European Commission due to a potentially adverse effect on the UK financial services sector; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers have regular discussions with the Commission on a wide variety of topics. As was the case with previous Administrations, we do not provide a running commentary on the details of these negotiations as it could prejudice development of effective Government policy. We have clearly set out the Government's concerns on certain aspects of Commission proposals on financial sector regulation to the president, other Commissioners and senior Commission officials in both correspondence and bilateral meetings in 2011.

Financial Services: EU Action

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of which current EU proposals on financial services regulation he has received representations identifying them as potentially damaging to the UK financial industry from (a) the British Bankers Association, (b) the Mayor of London, (c) organisations within the City of London, (d) the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and (e) representatives of RBS, Lloyds TSB, Barclays or HSBC banks.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the usual policymaking process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Households: Personal Savings

Hazel Blears: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he plans to take steps to increase the household savings ratio;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the long-term household savings ratio (a) in the North West and (b) nationally;
	(3)  whether his Department has undertaken a comparative assessment of the UK household savings ratio and that in other G20 countries;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the number of people in the North West who have no personal savings.

Mark Hoban: The Government aim to achieve strong, sustainable, and balanced growth, underpinned by a credible deficit reduction plan. Growth and stability will provide a context in which it is easier for households to make long-term savings and investment decisions.
	In the long term the Government want a strong saving culture to be a foundation for investment and sustainable growth. The Government have introduced a number of savings policies to meet their objectives. These include, but are not limited to:
	improving financial access by introducing the Money Advice Service and commissioning industry to develop a suite of simple financial products;
	indexing the amount that can be paid into ISAs each year;
	introducing junior ISAs; and
	introducing regulation to require employers to automatically enrol employees into a workplace pension and make a minimum contribution.
	The OECD provides details of the saving ratio for a number of countries. The UK saving ratio for the 2nd quarter of 2011 was 7.4%. It is difficult to compare between countries due to methodological differences.
	The saving ratio is not produced at a regional level. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) projects the savings ratio for the UK as a whole to average around 6% over the next four years.
	The Government use survey evidence to provide statistics about personal savings, to inform the development of policy. The Family Resources Survey has data for savings and investments of households, including regional analysis. The most recent release can be found here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/frs/

Infrastructure

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date his Department first informed Ministers in the Welsh Government of his plans to publish the National Infrastructure Plan 2011.

Danny Alexander: Treasury Ministers meet with Welsh Government Ministers on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues including infrastructure.

Money Advice Service: Pay

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) discussions and (b) written communications he has had with (i) the Financial Services Authority, (ii) the Office of Fair Trading and (iii) the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the remuneration package to the board of directors and chief executive of the Money Advice Service.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.
	The Government are committed to public sector pay restraint, and believe that senior managers should show leadership in this area. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury approves any civil service appointments in areas under ministerial control for those earning over £142,500.
	The Financial Services Authority is, however, responsible for appointing the chief executive and board directors of the Money Advice Service and setting the terms of the appointments.

Public Expenditure

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Barnett consequential funding has been made available to each of the devolved Administrations as a result of expenditure to increase passenger capacity on trains in England in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; and how much he expects to make available in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14 and (iv) 2014-15.

Danny Alexander: The devolved Administrations received Barnett consequentials of the Department for Transport settlements in both the 2007 and 2010 spending reviews. Barnett consequentials are calculated at a departmental level in spending reviews so it is not possible to identify expenditure on rail.
	In the Autumn Statement, the following Barnett consequentials were given to the devolved Administrations in respect of rail infrastructure programmes:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 Scotland 1.2 1.2 4.8 
			 Wales 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Northern Ireland 0.4 0.4 1.6

Public Expenditure

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Barnett consequentials will be for each devolved Administration as a result of the (a) National Infrastructure Plan 2011, (B) Youth Contract and (c) Regional Growth Fund.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 15 December 2011
	The Barnett consequentials resulting from the (a) National Infrastructure Plan 2011, (b) Youth Contract and (c) Regional Growth Fund are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			   2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 National Infrastructure Plan Scotland 7.4 43.2 69.8 
			  Wales 3.6 24.2 37.5 
			  Northern Ireland 2.5 14.5 23.4 
			      
			 Youth Contract Scotland 8.1 6.9 6.9 
			  Wales 4.7 4.0 4.0 
			  Northern Ireland 10.3 8.7 7.5 
			      
			 Regional Growth Fund Scotland 6.0 33.6 60.4 
			  Wales 3.5 19.4 34.8 
			  Northern Ireland 2.0 11.3 20.3

Public Expenditure

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the measures included in table 2.3 of his Autumn Statement will receive new funding announced in the Autumn Statement; and in which years.

Danny Alexander: All measures listed in table 2.3 of the Autumn Statement will receive new funding, in the years set out in the table.
	Announcements on mobile network coverage, high performance computing, the National Graphene Institute and Growing Places had been made at party conferences. Housing measures were announced in the housing strategy. All other measures were new autumn statement announcements.

Regional Growth Fund

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the additional funding for the Regional Growth Fund announced in the Autumn Statement is to be allocated.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 15 December 2011
	The Autumn Statement 2011 increased the Regional Growth Fund by £1 billion, plus Barnett consequentials for the devolved Administrations. The fund will continue to allocate funding to projects which create jobs, secure private sector investment and support areas currently dependent on the public sector. There will be an additional focus on bids from the eight core cities.

Tax Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to his Autumn Statement, how many (a) individuals and (b) households will be affected by (i) the freezing of working tax credit and (ii) the removal of planned over-indexation of child tax credits.

David Gauke: There are estimated to be 4.5 million households affected in 2012-13 by these changes; around 2.3 million couples, and 2.2 million single adults.
	Of the 4.5 million households, there are estimated to be 1.5 million households affected by the CTC change only, 2.8 million affected by both WTC and CTC changes, and 0.2 million affected by the WTC change only.

Taxation: Aviation

Maria Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the level of aviation taxes in (a) the UK, (b) the EU and (c) G20 countries;
	(2)  if he will publish his analysis of the international competitiveness of UK air passenger duty that informed his response to the consultation on reform of air passenger duty.

Chloe Smith: The Government monitor aviation taxes across a wide range of countries. The Government received over 500 responses to the consultation, including general analytical reports commissioned by stakeholders. Information on the aviation taxes of other EU member states and other G20 countries is published and freely available. Unlike many other countries, the UK does not apply VAT on flights and aviation fuel for commercial flights is not taxed.

VAT: Press

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what definition of (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) books is used by HM Revenue and Customs to determine whether items should be subject to the zero rate of VAT;
	(2)  what the estimated revenue from VAT would be if it were charged at (a) 5% and (b) 20% for newspapers and magazines.

David Gauke: There is no definition in VAT law of what are newspapers, magazines and books. HMRC therefore use the terms in their ordinary, everyday sense. The description of each term can be found in chapter 3 of HMRC Public Notice 701/10—"Zero-rating of books etc".
	No estimate has been made of the revenue from value added tax if it were charged at 5% or 20% for newspapers and magazines.
	An estimate of the cost of the zero-rating of books, newspapers and magazines is published in Table 1.5 “Main Tax Expenditures and Reliefs” on the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/table1-5.xls
	However, this estimate does not account for any behavioural effects (the resulting fall in demand) that would result from changes to the rate of value added tax.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Electronic Tagging

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Attorney-General if the Crown Prosecution Service will ask magistrates to ensure that overnight curfew orders for repeat juvenile offenders are accompanied by electronic tagging orders.

Edward Garnier: The Crown Prosecution Service seeks electronic monitoring to reinforce a curfew condition where it is necessary to prevent the youth from committing further offences while on bail or on remand to local authority accommodation; and, the statutory criteria for its use are satisfied. The court cannot order electronic monitoring unless the youth offending team have informed the court that electronic monitoring is suitable for the youth.

Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Attorney-General what guidance he provides to the Crown Prosecution Service on people who might be involved in illegal activities but are also the victims of human trafficking.

Edward Garnier: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) issued revised policy guidance to prosecutors on 1 June 2011 on the prosecution of defendants (children and adults) charged with offences who might be trafficked victims. The policy advises prosecutors that they should be alert to the possibility that the suspect may be a victim of trafficking in certain types of cases and advises on the steps they should take when dealing with them.
	The policy has changed from a test that a suspect is a credible trafficked victim to one where there is a credible suspicion that a suspect might have been trafficked. Where young people are involved and where there is a credible suspicion that a child or youth might have been trafficked and exploited through criminal activity, that may provide a defence of duress. Evidence of exploitation overrides the need to prove the means.
	This guidance has been published more widely (to the Law Society and through presentations/seminars with barristers) to ensure a wider understanding of this issue.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate (a) the carbon dioxide emissions likely to be generated by the number of additional UK residents projected by 2033 and (b) renewable energy capacity needed to abate and maintain current total emissions.

Gregory Barker: The latest official Government projections by DECC for greenhouse gas emissions including carbon dioxide were published in October 2011:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/about/ec_social_res/analytic_projs/en_emis_projs/en_emis_projs.aspx
	These provide projections for the period up to 2030. Projections beyond 2030 are not available. The projections assume that the UK population increases by 6.8 million between 2010 and 2030. This is the ONS principal 2008-based population projection, low migration variant. The 2008-based population projections were the latest available at the time of publication. Projections under the latest ONS 2010-based population projections are not available.
	Over the period 2010 to 2030 emissions are projected to fall by 168 MtCO2e from 586 MtCO2e to 418 MtCO2e. Carbon dioxide emissions are projected to fall by 146 MtCO2 from 496 MtCO2 to 350 MtCO2 over the same period. The projected fall is attributable to a range of factors including policy impacts on energy efficiency and increased use of renewable energy.
	Government have not looked at the amount of renewable electricity required to maintain current total emissions given the changes in population. However, under the central scenario assumptions in the emissions projections, renewable energy demand is projected to increase by 23 Mega tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) from 8.2 Mtoe to 30.9 Mtoe between 2010 and 2030. Renewables electricity generation capacity is projected to increase by 33 GW from 9 GW to 42 GW over the same period. This increase, together with other policy initiatives, is projected to be sufficient to maintain emissions. As explained in the report, the generation and capacity mix is dependent on a number of assumptions. Other assumptions would lead to projected electricity demand being met by different capacity and generation mixes. Modelling developed for the Carbon Plan published in December 2012 shows that by 2030 total renewable capacity could be between 35 and 50 GW under an assumed population growth of 6.8 million. The Carbon Plan can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/tackling/carbon_plan/carbon_plan.aspx

Special Advisers: Electronic Equipment

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his special advisers have been provided with (a) a mobile phone, (b) a laptop computer, (c) an iPad or other electronic tablet device, (d) use of a Government car and (e) an expense account.

Gregory Barker: Special advisers have been provided with a BlackBerry and a departmental laptop. They have not been provided with an iPad or other electronic tablet device, the use of a Government car, or with an expense account.

Departmental Manpower

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the annual staffing costs are of (a) the private office of the Minister of State for Climate Change, (b) the private office of the Minister of State for Energy and (c) his private office.

Gregory Barker: Staffing and salary information has been published and details can be found at:
	http://reference.data.gov.uk/gov-structure/organogram/?dept=decc&post=l

Departmental Manpower

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 567W, on departmental manpower, what the (a) job title and (b) salary range is of each additional member of staff employed by his Department in the period 31 May 2010 to 30 November 2011.

Gregory Barker: From 30 May 2010 to 30 November 2011 the numbers, grades and salary ranges of all civil servants, joining DECC, are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			 Grade Number 
			 Administrative officer 32.74 
			 Executive officer 48.89 
			 Higher executive officer 85 
			 Fast Stream 64 
			 Senior executive officer 54.96 
			 Grade 7 117.07 
			 Grade 6 48.97 
			 SCS payband 1 17 
			 SCS payband 2 8 
		
	
	The numbers above, which are shown as full-time equivalents (FTE), show all civil servants who have joined DECC either as fixed term appointments (including apprenticeships), permanent appointments, transfers from other Government Departments or loans from other Government Departments. This does not take account of staff who have left DECC in the same period.
	The staff salary ranges are as follows:
	
		
			 London base salary ranges 
			 £ 
			 Grade Minimum Maximum 
			 AA 18,567 19,712 
			 AO 21,250 22,646 
			 EO 24,992 29,060 
			 HEO 29,261 34,424 
			 SEO 34,713 41,851 
			 Grade 7 46,975 56,597 
			 Grade 6 56,707 68,322 
			 Fast Stream 27,000 33,654 
		
	
	
		
			 National base salary ranges 
			 £ 
			 Grade Minimum Maximum 
			 AA 14,567 15,712 
			 AO 17,534 19,146 
			 EO 21,250 25,060 
			 HEO 25,261 30,424 
			 SEO 30,713 37,851 
			 Grade 7 42,975 52,597 
			 Grade 6 52,707 64,322 
			 Fast Stream 25,000 29,654 
		
	
	
		
			 SCS base salary payscales 
			 £ 
			 Grade Minimum Maximum 
			 SCS Payband 1 58,200 117,800 
			 SCS Payband 2 82,900 162,500 
		
	
	The job titles of staff are not held in central electronic files. To gather this information would incur disproportionate costs.

Departmental Pay

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 568W, on departmental pay, what the (a) job title and (b) salary range is of each member of staff employed by his Department who receives a salary of more than £65,000 per year.

Gregory Barker: Upon further examination, the number of civil servants employed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) as at 30 September 2011 and who receive a salary of more than £65,000 is as shown in the following table below and not as previously stated on 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 568W.
	
		
			 Number Grade 
			 Grade 6 16 
			 SCS Payband 1 (Deputy Director) 45 
			 SCS Payband 2 (Director) 21 
			 SCS Payband 3 (Director General) 2 
			 Permanent Secretary 1 
		
	
	The staff salary ranges are as follows:
	
		
			 London base salary ranges 
			 £ 
			 Grade Minimum Maximum 
			 Grade 6 56,707 68,322 
		
	
	
		
			 National base salary ranges 
			 £ 
			 Grade Minimum Maximum 
			 Grade 6 52,707 64,322 
		
	
	
		
			 SCS base salary  p ay scales 
			 Grade Minimum Maximum 
			 SCS Payband 1 58,200 117,800 
			 SCS Payband 2 82,900 162,500 
			 SCS Payband 3 101,500 208,100 
			 Permanent Secretary 141,800 277,300 
		
	
	The job titles of staff are not held in central electronic files. To gather this information would incur disproportionate costs.

Departmental Responsibilities

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what diary engagements he undertook on the afternoon of 31 October 2011.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 15 December 2011
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 22 November 2011, Official Report, column 317W.

Energy Supply

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the future ownership of (a) nuclear and (b) renewable energy power stations and facilities currently proposed or under construction; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: To date, three energy consortia have announced plans to build up to 16 gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear in the UK:
	EDF intends to build four new EPR reactors (amounting to 6.4 GW) at Hinkley Point and Sizewell and have gained permission from the local authority to begin preliminary works at Hinkley Point;
	Horizon Nuclear Power (a joint venture between RWE and E.ON) intends to build at least 6 GW of new nuclear capacity at Wylfa and Oldbury; and
	NuGeneration, a consortium of GDF SUEZ and Iberdrola has set out plans to build up to 3.6 GW of new nuclear capacity at Sellafield.
	DECC collects information from local planning authorities and renewable energy developers on all renewable energy projects over 0.01 MW at each stage of the planning system, from proposed projects to operational sites. Monthly updates are available at:
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/cms/planning-database
	This includes the name of the applicant or contractor, location, installed capacity and planning status.
	The Energy Research Partnership, which is chaired by the Department's chief scientific adviser, David Mackay, is also undertaking work on a Nuclear Fission Technology Roadmap, setting out potential technology, skills and research path to 2050. We expect this work to report in February and to feed into a the ongoing Nuclear Technology Innovation Needs Assessment (TINA) being undertaken by DECC. We expect our TINA work to conclude in spring. Other TINAs are also under way for a range of low carbon energy technologies, including key renewable generation technologies.
	In “Enabling the Transition to a Green Economy” (the green economy roadmap), published in August, the Government announced a new 'skills for a green economy' group of Sector Skills Councils and others to help businesses understand and address green skills needs.(1)
	(1) The project report setting out the evidence underpinning the proposals (from BIS, DECC and DEFRA working together) is available at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/s/11-1315-skills-for-a-green-economy.pdf

Energy: Meters

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what account his Department's consultation on smart meters and methods of connecting them will take of the difficulties encountered in the provision of broadband to rural areas.

Charles Hendry: The purpose of the procurement processes for the data and communication services is to evaluate the technical capability and value for money of proposed solutions. For communication services this will include assessing the proposed coverage, efficacy and viability of different technologies across Great Britain, including any particular challenges posed by rural areas.

Energy: Meters

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to assess (a) wireless, (b) cellular and (c) other options for the installation and subsequent operation of smart meters.

Charles Hendry: Our requirements for communication services to and from smart meters are technology neutral and we will assess the relative merits of the solutions that bidders propose through the procurement processes. We expect proposals based on a range of communications technologies and will evaluate the trade-offs between coverage, cost and scalability in order to determine the most advantageous overall solution.

Energy: Meters

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to consult the Welsh Government on technology for the operation of smart meters.

Charles Hendry: The Government published a consultation in August 2011 on their proposals to establish the technical specifications for smart metering equipment that suppliers will install in consumer premises. They informed the Welsh Government and other key stakeholders about the publication to ensure that they had an opportunity to respond. The Government are currently considering the responses to this consultation and will publish the updated technical specifications in early March. They will then notify the European Commission of the specifications and associated licence conditions, in accordance with the requirements of the Technical Standards and Regulations Directive. There are no plans for further consultation on the technical specifications.

Energy: Prisons

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 570W, on energy: prisons, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs supported by Government energy efficiency schemes in (a) 2012, (b) 2013, (c) 2014 and (d) 2015; and which schemes will support those jobs.

Gregory Barker: As stated in my answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 570W, we estimate that Government programmes to promote energy efficiency in homes, businesses and the public sector will support 65,000 insulation sector jobs in 2015. This estimate relates specifically to the forthcoming Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation schemes. We have not made annualised estimates of energy efficiency sector jobs from 2012 to 2015.

Energy: Private Rented Housing

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what process his Department plans to follow to determine whether a landlord has carried out the maximum package of measures funded under the Green Deal or Energy Company Obligation for improving energy efficiency in housing under the provisions of the Energy Act 2011.

Gregory Barker: We expect the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) will be a key inspection mechanism as it will outline which measures have been installed in the property using the Green Deal and if there are remaining measures which could benefit from Green Deal finance. Local authorities, as the enforcing body for the private rented sector regulations, will have access to this information through the EPC database.
	The regulations, including details of the enforcement mechanism, will be subject to a public consultation.

Energy: Private Rented Housing

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what measures he plans to put in place to protect tenants from eviction in cases where they request energy efficiency improvements.

Gregory Barker: The issue of retaliatory eviction in the context of the Green Deal was raised during the passage of the Energy Act. In response I established a working group to consider stakeholder concerns, and report to DECC and Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Ministers with recommendations. The report is due to be submitted to myself and the Minister for Housing and Local Government before Christmas.

Environment Protection: Economic Growth

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has made an estimate of the level of growth in the low carbon economy in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has made no estimate of the level of growth in the low carbon economy in each of the last 10 years. However, independent studies commissioned by BIS and published by Innovas and K-Matrix estimate turnover in the Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services sector for the financial years 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10. The historic growth of turnover in the Low Carbon sub-sector over these years is as follows:
	2007/08 to 2008/09—4.5%
	2008/09 to 2009/10—4.3%

Environment Protection: Employment

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's most recent estimate is of the number of people employed in the low carbon economy.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has made no recent estimate of the number of people employed in the low carbon economy. However, an independent report by K-Matrix, commissioned by BIS, estimates that employment in the Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services sector was approximately 914,000 in 2009/10. Employment in the Low Carbon sub-sector was estimated to be approximately 449,000 in 2009/10.

Forests: Developing Countries

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what agreements were made at the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban on reducing emissions from (a) aviation and (b) deforestation and forest degradation.

Gregory Barker: The conference in Durban agreed to continue consideration of issues related to addressing emissions from international aviation and maritime transport. While we would have preferred a decision of substance, this decision does mean that we can continue to press for international aviation emissions to be addressed through the International Civil Aviation Organization.
	The decisions taken in Durban on reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD+) move us in the right direction, but we would have liked to see faster progress. Specifically, the decisions resolved some important technical issues on reference levels against which we will measure progress on REDD+, and how countries will provide information on biodiversity and social safeguards. Both of these are essential building blocks towards a functioning REDD+ mechanism. Donor and forest countries also committed to stepping up efforts to address deforestation in the Congo Basin.

Fuel Poverty: Cancer

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if his Department will provide assistance to cancer patients in fuel poverty to enable them to identify the most appropriate tariff for their energy supplies.

Gregory Barker: Helping all consumers, including those suffering from cancer, to find the most appropriate tariff is a key component of the Check Switch and Insulate to Save campaign that my Government launched alongside the energy suppliers, Citizens Advice, Consumer Focus, Age UK and Which? Further information on the campaign can be found via
	http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_199725
	As announced at the consumer energy summit in October, we have reached a voluntary agreement under which energy suppliers will now provide their domestic customers with a “signpost” on bills to cheaper deals.

Fuel Poverty: Cancer

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the Energy Company Obligation will provide support for cancer patients who are in fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: Eligibility for support through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is currently being consulted on.
	Under our proposals, the ECO would provide support, such as heating and insulation measures, to low income and vulnerable households as part of Government's programme to tackle fuel poverty. This could include cancer patients provided they were in receipt of the qualifying means-tested benefits. Alongside the Green Deal, the ECO would also provide support to households in need of expensive measures, such as solid wall insulation. Government have not proposed any restrictions in eligibility for this element of ECO support.

G20

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what arrangements have been made for the meeting of the G20 energy ministers which the UK is hosting in 2012.

Charles Hendry: The UK will host the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) on 25 and 26 April 2012. Although the CEM brings together many of the G20 energy Ministers, it is a separate forum and not part of the G20.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change is working closely with the CEM Secretariat in the United States Department of Energy on the preparations for this two-day event that aims to secure practical progress on low carbon energy deployment by promoting international collaboration, and by bringing the public and private sectors together to share best practice.
	Further information can be found at:
	www.cleanenergyministerial.org

G20

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the (a) location and (b) agenda is of the meeting of the G20 energy ministers in April 2012 which the UK is hosting; what other arrangements have been made for the meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The UK will host the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) on 25-26 April 2012. Although the CEM brings together many of the G20 Energy Ministers, it is a separate forum and not part of the G20. The CEM will be held at Lancaster House in London.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change is working closely with the CEM Secretariat in the United States Department of Energy to prepare the agenda for the CEM to secure practical progress on low carbon energy deployment through discussion, for example on public and private finance for clean energy, on energy efficiency, and by building on the 11 international collaborations announced last year.
	The agenda is due to be finalised at the preparatory meeting in Delhi on 2 and 3 February.

Green Deal Scheme

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether energy efficiency aggregators delivering the Green Deal will be eligible to receive support through the proposed capacity mechanism incentive for demand reduction measures as part of the Electricity Market Reform programme.

Gregory Barker: In the Electricity Market Reform White Paper “Planning our electric future: a White Paper for secure, affordable and low-carbon electricity”(1), DECC committed to assessing whether further steps are needed to improve the support and incentives for efficient use of electricity.
	This assessment will look at what impact current policies have on electricity demand and whether there is a need for further measures to incentivise demand reduction—either within the Electricity Market Reform programme or elsewhere. This work will include a consideration of how any new measures would interact with existing policies such as the Green Deal.
	In addition, in the Electricity Market Reform Technical Update, ‘Planning our electric future: technical update’(2), DECC committed to ensuring that flexible, verifiable demand side response can participate in a capacity mechanism on a fair and equivalent basis to generation.
	(1 )http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/legislation/white_ papers/emr_wp_2011/emr_wp_2011.aspx
	(2 )http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/meeting-energy-demand/energy-markets/3884-planning-electric-future-technical-update.pdf

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many companies have submitted a written expression of interest in becoming a Green Deal provider to his Department since the scheme was announced.

Gregory Barker: The Government have not requested expressions of interest from potential Green Deal providers. However Ministers and officials have frequent conversations and meetings with companies who are interested in entering the market to ensure they are fully informed of the requirements for being a provider and also to ensure that any concerns that they have are fed into policy development as appropriate.

Ministerial Meetings

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  for what reasons his Department has not published a quarterly list of ministerial meetings with external organisations for (a) April to June and (b) July to September 2011;
	(2)  when his Department expects to publish its quarterly list of ministerial meetings with external organisations for (a) April to June and (b) July to September 2011.

Gregory Barker: The ministerial meetings with external organisations for April to June 2011 have been published and details can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/registers.aspx
	The list for July to September is being compiled and will be published in due course.

Natural Gas: Prices

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent comparative assessment he has made of the cost of domestic gas in the US and the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: In 2010, the average cost of domestic gas (including taxes) in the UK was 4.15 pence per kWh, compared to 2.39 pence per kWh in the USA. Excluding taxes, the average cost of gas in 2010 was 3.95 pence per kWh in the UK and 2.28 pence per kWh in the USA.
	One of the main reasons for the retail price differential is the higher wholesale price of gas in the UK compared to the US. The US has experienced substantial growth in gas production in recent years, primarily driven by exploitation of unconventional gas and therefore has little need for significant imports. Furthermore, a lack of export capacity means that the US is not currently well placed to sell gas to other markets. Conversely, geographical proximity and physical linkages (via pipelines) mean the UK is connected to European gas markets and the UK wholesale price is influenced by European wholesale prices.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

House of Commons Chamber

Peter Bone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many times he has attended the Chamber of the House since May 2010.

Nicholas Clegg: I spend as much time as necessary to carry out in full my official duties in Parliament.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Departmental Public Expenditure

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether she receives any external funding for (a) her Ministerial office and (b) her advisers; and what the (i) source and (ii) amount is of any such funding.

Lynne Featherstone: As of 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office has been part of the Home Office and is no longer a separate Government Department. The information requested will be provided by the Minister for Immigration in response to your question to the Secretary of State for the Home Department.

TRANSPORT

Biofuels

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many acres of agricultural land were used to supply biofuel for transport in the UK in each of the last 10 years; and how many tonnes of biofuel were produced on that land in each of those years.

Norman Baker: Estimates of land usage for biofuels are available from the introduction of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) in 2008.
	This information is available in the RTFO administrator's reports to Parliament for 2008-09 and 2009-10 can be found online at
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/other/9780108508868/9780108508868.pdf
	and
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/other/9780108509681/9780108509681.pdf
	Article 22 of the Renewable Energy Directive requires all member states to report biennially on changes in land use associated with increased use of biomass from renewable sources. The first of these reports is due to be submitted to the Commission on 31 December 2011 and will be published in due course.

Bus Services: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of the annual number of additional car journeys to take place attributable to (a) the end of concessionary coach travel funding and (b) reductions in funding from the Bus Service Operators Grant.

Norman Baker: holding answer 15 December 2011
	A regulatory impact assessment on the ending of the concessionary coach scheme is available on the DFT website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/bus-service-operators-grant/
	The Department for Transport has not estimated the number of additional car journeys which will take place following the reduction of Bus Service Operators Grant by 20% from April 2012.

Bus Services: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport over what time frame she plans to allocate funding for the Better Bus Area Fund.

Norman Baker: The deadline for local authorities to submit bids for the Better Bus Area Fund is 24 February 2012. Award letters to successful authorities will be issued before the end of March 2012.

Ministerial Domestic Visits

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions she visited (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland in an official capacity in the last 12 months.

Norman Baker: The previous Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), made one visit to Wales in an official capacity. He made no visits to Scotland or Northern Ireland over the specified time scale.
	The current Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), has not made any visits to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
	I have made one visit to Scotland in the last 12 months, while the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), has made two visits to Scotland, three visits to Wales and one visit to Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she plans to answer question 82566, on official photographs, tabled on 21 November 2011 for reply on 23 November 2011.

Norman Baker: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 15 December 2011, Official Report, column 844W.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Manpower

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff are employed in each regional office of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Michael Penning: The following table provides the number of staff that are employed in each regional office.
	
		
			 Location Total 
			 Aberdeen 9 
			 Bangor 12 
			 Beverley 16 
			 Birmingham 48 
			 Borehamwood 31 
			 Bournemouth 60 
			 Brighton 18 
			 Bristol 29 
			 Cardiff 35 
			 Carlisle 10 
			 Chelmsford 55 
			 Chester 17 
			 Dundee 12 
			 Edinburgh 26 
			 Exeter 36 
			 Glasgow 67 
			 Inverness 8 
			 Ipswich 19 
			 Leeds 52 
			 Lincoln 16 
			 Maidstone 30 
			 Manchester 68 
		
	
	
		
			 Newcastle 48 
			 Northampton 57 
			 Norwich 16 
			 Nottingham 50 
			 Oxford 10 
			 Peterborough 25 
			 Portsmouth 22 
			 Preston 63 
			 Reading 23 
			 Sheffield 25 
			 Shrewsbury 18 
			 Sidcup 85 
			 Stockton 22 
			 Swansea 30 
			 Truro 12 
			 Wimbledon 38 
			 Worcester 25 
			 Grand total 1,243

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: North-east England

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the likely effects of proposals to close Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency regional enforcement offices on levels of unemployment in (a) the north-east and (b) Teesside.

Michael Penning: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) employs 48 staff in its Newcastle-upon-Tyne office, 22 in the Stockton office and 16 in Beverley. If these offices close as a result of the consultation on transforming the DVLA's services, all 86 jobs in this area could be at risk. Consultation with potentially affected staff has already begun and will include ways of avoiding or reducing redundancies as well as how to mitigate the consequences of any redundancies.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what services are delivered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency regional offices in Scotland.

Michael Penning: The services delivered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's local offices, including those in Scotland, comprise vehicle registration and licensing, tax disc distribution to motor dealers, trade licensing, vehicle inspections, personalised registrations, enforcement activity and driver services.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport at how many locations in Scotland the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency shares office accommodation with other Government agencies.

Michael Penning: Three of the five local offices located in Scotland share office accommodation with other Government agencies. These are:
	Aberdeen with the DWP;
	Dundee with the HMRC (Scotland); and
	Inverness with the Scottish Executive.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency offices in Scotland proposed for closure was funded through the private finance initiative.

Michael Penning: Property and facilities management at all five local offices located in Scotland is provided through a private finance initiative contract.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the staff (a) turnover and (b) absentee rate was at each Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency office in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: The following table provides the turnover and absentee rate for each of the five local offices in Scotland for the last five years:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Office Turnover Absentee rate 
			 2006-07   
			 Aberdeen 46 4.6 
			 Dundee 15 8.0 
			 Edinburgh 3 10.7 
			 Glasgow 22 11.1 
			 Inverness 12 14.2 
			 Total 20 — 
			    
			 2007-0 8   
			 Aberdeen 50 4.4 
			 Dundee 15 1.6 
			 Edinburgh 10 11.0 
			 Glasgow 25 14.2 
			 Inverness 37 17.1 
			 Total 24 — 
			    
			 2008-09   
			 Aberdeen 45 2.4 
			 Dundee 0 15.2 
			 Edinburgh 14 3.0 
			 Glasgow 15 9.2 
			 Inverness 25 7.1 
			 Total 16 — 
			    
			 2009-10   
			 Aberdeen 0 2.9 
			 Dundee 27 3.2 
			 Edinburgh 8 3.3 
			 Glasgow 3 8.9 
			 Inverness 80 6.1 
			 Total 8 — 
			    
			 2010-11   
			 Aberdeen 9 4.8 
			 Dundee 0 2.6 
			 Edinburgh 0 0.6 
			 Glasgow 11 6.6 
			 Inverness 0 2.9 
			 Total 7 —

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the running costs were of each Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) office in Scotland in each of the last five years; and what the fixed accommodation cash running costs of DVLA office buildings in Scotland were over each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: The information requested is not readily available and would incur disproportionate costs to gather. The following tables show the running costs for the five local offices situated in Scotland for the last two years.
	
		
			 £000 
			 Aberdeen 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Staff costs 259 247 
			 Staff related costs 30 16 
			 Rent 31 31 
			 Service charge 26 15 
			 Rates 11 11 
			 Utilities n/a 4 
			 Unitary charge 7 8 
			 Total 364 332 
		
	
	
		
			 £000 
			 Dundee 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Staff costs 285 269 
			 Staff related costs 12 6 
			 Rent 27 27 
			 Service charge 28 16 
			 Rates 14 16 
			 Utilities n/a 4 
			 Unitary charge 15 15 
			 Total 381 353 
		
	
	
		
			 £000 
			 Edinburgh 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Staff costs 561 567 
			 Staff related costs 10 4 
			 Rent 138 138 
			 Service charge 57 49 
			 Rates 56 40 
			 Unitary charge 49 51 
			 Total 871 849 
		
	
	
		
			 £000 
			 Glasgow 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Staff costs 1,622 1,547 
			 Staff related costs 45 46 
			 Rent 307 307 
			 Service charge 103 100 
			 Rates 116 113 
			 Utilities n/a 16 
			 Unitary charge 94 97 
			 Total 2,287 2,226 
		
	
	
		
			 £000 
			 Inverness 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Staff costs 171 178 
			 Staff related costs 15 23 
			 Rent 9 9 
			 Service charge 12 17 
			 Rates 5 5 
			 Utilities n/a 3 
		
	
	
		
			 Unitary charge 9 9 
			 Total 221 244

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average length of service is of staff currently employed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency at each of its locations in Scotland.

Michael Penning: The information requested is listed as follows.
	Aberdeen—The average service length of staff is 13 years and 7 months.
	Dundee—The average service length of staff is 20 years and 7 months.
	Edinburgh—The average service length of staff is 13 years and 7 months.
	Glasgow—The average service length of staff is 10 years and 8 months.
	Inverness—The average service length of staff is 9 years and 1 month.
	Glasgow Crec—The average service length of staff is 11 years and 7 months.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with which estate partners the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency holds contracts relating to accommodation and facilities management for its regional offices in Scotland.

Michael Penning: All five local offices in Scotland are included in the private finance initiative contract DVLA has with Telereal Trillium.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has to transfer its delivery of services from Scotland to other parts of the UK; at what locations offices are being retained by the DVLA in Scotland; and what functions these offices will fulfil.

Michael Penning: The public consultation exercise on the way DVLA delivers its services, could result in all the services offered by local offices being centralised at Swansea and delivered electronically via phone, internet or through one or more intermediaries. This could mean that there would be no Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency local office remaining in Scotland beyond 2013.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on refitting, repairs and general maintenance of each Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency regional office in Scotland proposed for vacation or closure in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: The information requested on repair and general maintenance costs is not readily available and would incur disproportionate costs to gather. The following table shows the cost of refitting the local offices in Scotland during the last five years. All this work took place during 2008-09.
	
		
			 2008-09 Refit (£) 
			 Aberdeen 0 
			 Dundee 481,431 
			 Edinburgh 495,069 
			 Glasgow 62,178 
			 Inverness 0

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of her Department's liability for redundancy payments consequent upon the planned closure of each Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency office in Scotland.

Michael Penning: We have recently launched a consultation on a programme of work which will transform the way that the DVLA delivers its services to customers. This will be achieved by centralising services and providing much more choice and flexibility around how and when motorists deal with the DVLA. The proposals could deliver significant efficiencies with an estimated £28 million year on year savings.
	However, no decisions about local office closure have yet been made.
	The Department's potential liability for redundancy payments would be estimated to be in the region of £2.3 million for the local offices located in Scotland.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency offices in Scotland identified for vacation following the announcement of the rationalisation programme are (a) owned or (b) leased; what estimate her Department has made of the costs of relinquishing leases; and what estimate it has made of the cost of vacating those offices.

Michael Penning: No decisions about property vacation have yet been made.
	All five local office properties in Scotland are leased. It is not expected that any costs would be incurred if the leases for these five local offices were relinquished.
	The estimated dilapidation costs for vacating the offices would be:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Aberdeen 31,000 
			 Dundee 49,000 
			 Edinburgh 111,000 
			 Glasgow 225,000 
			 Inverness 21,000

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the possible effects of the proposed closure of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency offices in Scotland on the time taken to issue licences.

Michael Penning: There would be no degradation to the service offered. Customers would still be able to license online or by telephone. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is also proposing to increase the range and number of intermediaries that could offer these kinds of services.
	Under the proposal customers in Scotland would be issued licences within the same timescale as the rest of Great Britain.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the proposed closure of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency offices in Scotland.

Michael Penning: The Secretary of State for Transport meets regularly with her ministerial colleagues but there has been no specific discussion on the proposed closure of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's offices. As part of the public consultation I wrote to the Secretary of State for Scotland on 13 December.

Driving Tests

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there will be any increase in the cost to candidates to sit the car and motorcycle theory tests as a result of the decision by the Driving Standards Agency to change the questions in the test.

Michael Penning: The Driving Standards Agency has no plans to increase theory test fees as a result of changing the questions in the test.

Driving Under Influence: Costs

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of the average cost to the public purse of a single drink-drive (a) offence and conviction, (b) offence and conviction involving a serious injury and (c) offence and conviction involving a death.

Michael Penning: My Department is currently finalising with the Ministry of Justice and Home Office the costs to the judicial system and the police used in its assessments of legal changes related to drink-drive offences and convictions.
	The average values of preventing road casualties in 2009 were £1,585,510 for a fatality, £178,160 for a serious injury and £13,740 for a slight (ie lesser) injury. These values include costs related to the emergency services and the health service, as well as wider economic and social costs.

Driving Under Influence: Rehabilitation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average cost to the public purse was of participation by an individual on a drink-drive rehabilitation course in the latest period for which figures are available; and what estimate she has made of the likely savings to the public purse which could be made if proposals that there will be more than one provider of drink-drive rehabilitation courses in each region were implemented.

Michael Penning: The cost to the Driving Standards Agency of administering and quality assuring the Drink Driver Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) in 2009-10 was £140,000. 29,400 offenders completed a DDRS course resulting in an average cost per offender of £4.76.
	The current Driving Standards Agency consultation on revised arrangements for DDRS includes the adoption of the ‘user pays’ principle. This will transfer the cost of accrediting and quality assuring DDRS from the public purse to the offender. Whether there are multiple or single course providers in any area will have no effect on the sum transferred.

Driving Under Influence: Rehabilitation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reoffending rates were for offenders who undertook a drink-drive rehabilitation course in a region with (a) a single provider and (b) multiple providers of such courses in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: No data have been gathered that would allow us to identify whether there is a difference in the reoffending rates between those areas with a single rehabilitation course provider and those with multiple course providers.

Driving Under Influence: Rehabilitation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of deaths that have been prevented by the introduction of the drink-drive rehabilitation scheme.

Michael Penning: It is not possible to specifically attribute any part of the reduction in death rates on the road to the introduction of the drink-drive rehabilitation scheme.
	We are satisfied that drink-drive rehabilitation schemes are effective. Transport Research Laboratory research in 2004 reported that offenders who had not attended a course were 2.6 times more likely to have been convicted of a subsequent drink-drive offence when compared with those who had attended a course.

Driving Under Influence: Rehabilitation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the likely effects on reoffending rates of her proposed changes to the drink-drive rehabilitation scheme.

Michael Penning: The Driving Standards Agency consultation “New approval arrangements for Drink Drive Rehabilitation courses” was issued on 9 November 2011. One of the aims of the proposals it contains is that they will create better quality courses that will encourage more offenders to take advantage of the training in order to reduce the likelihood of them reoffending.

Driving Under Influence: Rehabilitation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the likely factors an offender would take into account in choosing between providers in an area with more than one provider of drink-drive rehabilitation courses.

Michael Penning: Where an offender has a choice between the offerings of two or more drink-drive rehabilitation course providers, it is assumed that the key factors that will determine which course is chosen will be convenience (in terms of the location of the course and its timing) and the overall cost of attending the course (the course fee, travel costs and any loss of income or leisure time incurred by the offender).
	All approved courses are required to offer provision to a specified standard and will be monitored against that standard.

Drug Screening Technology: Police Stations

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to her Department's Structural Reform Monthly Implementation Plan, what progress has been made on work with the Home Office to authorise the use of drug screening technology in police stations.

Michael Penning: holding answer 13 December 2011
	As indicated in the November monthly implementation report about the DFT Structural Reform Plan, authorisation of drug screening technology depends on the type approval of individual devices by the Secretary of State for the Home Department. This is given only following operational and laboratory tests of the devices against the type approval specification. Operational tests have been completed.
	In the light of the closure next year of the Forensic Science Service (FSS), new arrangements are required for the laboratory tests and the Home Office is putting these into place as quickly as technically possible.

East Midlands Airport: Security

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with management of East Midlands Airport on the swabbing of religious headgear of (a) passengers and (b) airport workers.

Theresa Villiers: The decision on whether to participate in the trial of alternative screening processes for religious headgear is one for individual airports. DFT officials informed East Midlands airport of the trial and had several discussions with them ahead of the implementation of the process there earlier this year.
	East Midlands airport is now participating in the trial in passenger search lanes. The airport has kept DFT officials updated.

Electric Vehicles

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress her Department has made on increasing the number of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Norman Baker: holding answer 15 December 2011
	We have put in place a range of policies to kick start the early market for low emission vehicles in the UK, with support for consumer incentives, recharging infrastructure, and research, development and demonstration projects.
	As of 30 September 2011, 786 claims have been made through the Plug-In Car Grant scheme (PiCG), with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) data showing that 910 cars eligible for the PiCG were registered over the same period.
	Relative to the number of electric cars registered in previous years, the number of cars bought since January this year represents a significant step change. We expect uptake to increase further as more vehicles come to market over the next year.

London Airports

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on new runways at (a) Stansted and (b) Gatwick airport.

Theresa Villiers: The coalition Government have stated that they would not give permission for additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted.
	We want to see a successful aviation sector which facilitates economic growth and addresses its environmental impacts. We will issue a Sustainable Framework for UK Aviation for public consultation in spring 2012.

Official Cars

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) make, (b) model and (c) place of manufacture is of each car (i) loaned or (ii) purchased by the Government Car and Despatch Agency since May 2010.

Michael Penning: The first table shows those cars that the Government Car and Despatch Agency has purchased, leased or been loaned since May 2010 that remain in the fleet. The second table shows those that where loaned since May 2010 that have since been returned.
	
		
			 Make and Model Registration date Country of build  
			 Toyota Prius 12 May 2010 Japan Leased 
			 Toyota Prius 12 May 2010 Japan Leased 
			 Toyota Prius 12 May 2010 Japan Leased 
			 Toyota Prius 12 May 2010 Japan Leased 
			 Toyota Prius 12 May 2010 Japan Leased 
			 Ford Focus 19 May 2010 Germany On loan development car 
			 Electric 19 May 2010 Japan Leased 
			 Electric 19 May 2010 Japan Leased 
			 Jaguar XF 3.0 Diesel 18 January 2011 United Kingdom Leased 
			 Jaguar XJ LWB 3.0D 25 October 2011 United Kingdom Purchased 
			 Jaguar XF 3.0 Diesel 25 October 2011 United Kingdom Purchased 
			 Jaguar XJ LWB 3.0D 1 November 2011 United Kingdom Purchased 
			 Jaguar XJ LWB 3.0D 1 November 2011 United Kingdom Purchased 
		
	
	
		
			 Make and model Date received Date returned Country of build  
			 Jaguar XF 3.0D 14 June 2010 13 July 2010 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation 
			 Jaguar XJ 3.0D 3 June 2010 26 August 2010 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation 
			 Jaguar XJ 3.0D 3 June 2010 30 June 2010 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation 
			 Jaguar XJ 3.0D 1 July 2010 26 August 2010 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation 
			 Vauxhall Astra 1.3 Ecoflex 19 July 2010 26 July 2010 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation 
			 Toyota Auris 1.8 Hybrid 29 July 2010 5 August 2010 Japan On loan for evaluation 
			 Jaguar XJ 3.0D 12 October 2010 15 October 2010 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation 
			 Jaguar XJ 3.0D 13 July 2010 13 January 2011 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation 
			 Nissan Leaf EV 8 June 2011 29 June 2011 Japan On loan for evaluation 
			 Jaguar XF 3.0D 17 June 2011 8 July 2011 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation 
			 Jaguar XJ 3.0D 17 June 2011 13 July 2011 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation 
			 Ford Mondeo 1.6D Econetic 26 August 2011 2 September 2011 Germany On loan for evaluation 
			 Jaguar XF 3.0D 6 September 2011 22 September 2011 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation 
			 Jaguar XJ 3.0D 7 September 2011 18 November 2011 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation 
			 Jaguar XJ 3.0D 7 September 2011 18 November 2011 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation 
			 Jaguar XJ 3.0D 27 September 2011 18 November 2011 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation 
			 Ford Mondeo 1.6D Econetic 14 October 2011 4 November 2011 Belgium On loan for evaluation 
			 Jaguar XF 3.0D 10 October 2011 9 November 2011 United Kingdom On loan for evaluation

Railway Stations: Rotherham

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the level of (a) delays and (b) additional costs in the refurbishment of Rotherham Central railway station; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) is responsible for the delivery of the refurbishment of Rotherham Central railway station. This includes the management of delay and cost overruns. The Department has funded Access for All enhancements which will be delivered by SYPTE, as part of this scheme.

Rescue Services: Wales

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the change has been in levels of staffing costs for the Coastguard Service in Wales since May 2010.

Michael Penning: The staffing costs for coastguards employed at Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres in Wales for May 2010 compared with October 2011 are set out as follows:
	
		
			  Salary costs (£) 
			 May 2010 174,718.03 
			 October 2011 168,081.24

Road Traffic Control

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent reports her Department has published under section 2 of the Road Traffic Reduction (National Targets) Act 1998; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has not published any recent reports under section 2 of the Road Traffic Reduction (National Targets) Act 1998.
	While the Secretary of State for Transport is not obliged to publish further reports, the Department does of course believe that reducing the environmental, social and economic adverse impacts of road traffic is important. Indeed, reducing these impacts, across the entire transport spectrum, is core to the Department's business.
	The Government's first report under the Act can be found at
	http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/congestionresearch/tacklingcongestionandpolluti4028.html

Shipping: Southampton

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with representatives of the Port of Southampton on (a) Maersk Triple E Class and (b) other larger container ships.

Michael Penning: No such discussions have yet taken place. I am, however, aware, and have seen evidence of when I visited the port, of Southampton's desire to enhance its capacity to accommodate such vessels.

Shipping: Southampton

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of deep-sea container operations in Southampton.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport fully appreciates the importance of Southampton as the second-largest deep-sea container port in the United Kingdom, it having handled some 1.6 million teu (twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2010. Its expansion plans are specifically noted in the National Policy Statement for Ports.

Teesside Airport

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she plans to take to safeguard the future of Teesside airport following the decision by Peel Airports to put it up for sale.

Theresa Villiers: The Government recognise the vital contribution regional airports make to local economies, and fully appreciate that the announcement of Durham Tees Valley airport's sale will cause concern for the people and business community in the north-east region. Any decision to sell the airport is a commercial matter for its joint owners.

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2011, Official Report, columns 262-64W, on Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, what contribution her Department plans to make to the budget of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency in each year of the current spending review period; and how much her Department contributed in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: holding answer 15 December 2011
	The contribution made by the Department for Transport to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency in each year of the last five years and planned for the current spending review period is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Contribution (£ million) 
			 Annual Accounts  
			 2006-07 10.0 
			 2007-08 12.4 
			 2008-09 18.3 
			 2009-10 21.5 
			 2010-11 19.0 
			   
			 Budget  
			 2011-12 18.7 
			   
			 Plan  
			 2012-13 17.0 
			 2013-14 16.0 
			 2014-15 16.0

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: Across the public sector, commissioners need to be innovative, entrepreneurial and capable of meeting complex needs while being active managers of diverse markets consisting of providers such as mutuals, voluntary and community organisations and SMEs.
	By tackling protracted and overly bureaucratic processes and building in more strategic dialogue with suppliers (from all sectors) as well as users of public services early on, unnecessary and costly waste can be reduced in our public services, value for taxpayers' money can be delivered, and innovative bids can be attracted from a range of organisations that deliver outcomes and meets with user need.
	We also need to drive up commissioner skills in terms of outcomes-based commissioning, innovative new models of delivery and payment by result. We are currently scoping a Commissioning Academy to up skill professionals, enabling them to deliver the vision outlined in the Open Public Services White Paper of a diverse provider market.
	This will maximise social value, something which the Government support through the Public Services (Social Value) Bill currently going through Parliament.

Risk Assessment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what risk registers are kept by the Corporate Services Group of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: Management Units within the Corporate Services Group of the Cabinet Office are required to maintain risk registers. In addition, there is a strategic risk register which is reviewed by the board.
	Our “Top 5” Major Projects can be found on our quarterly Data summary.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate has been made of the number of unregistered voters in each (a) region and (b) parliamentary constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what the number of unregistered voters is by (a) region and (b) parliamentary constituency (87438).
	ONS does not have the data required to answer your question. Data are collected on the number of people who are registered to vote in the UK, but no data are collected on the number of people who are eligible to vote but who choose not to register.
	The ONS population estimates are of the resident population and will include some people who are not eligible to vote. Therefore the number of unregistered electors cannot be calculated based on the difference between the population estimate and the number of registered electors.

Japan Tobacco International: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Peter Hain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether any (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department have received hospitality from Japan Tobacco International since May 2010.

Francis Maude: Hospitality received by Ministers and special advisers is published on a quarterly basis on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations

Plutonium: Major Projects Authority

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which staff of the Major Projects Authority have expertise in the management of plutonium; and from which Government Departments are such staff seconded.

Francis Maude: There are no staff in the Major Projects Authority who have expertise in the management of plutonium. The MPA does, however, manage a database of accredited assurance reviewers who sit on review teams to provide independent assurance on the Government's major projects. These reviewers are experts in their field and are a mixture of external consultants and in-house civil servants from across Government. Of the active civil servant pool there are c. 45 individuals with nuclear sector experience from a range of Government Departments.

Social Enterprises

Hazel Blears: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what his Department's definition of social enterprise is as regards the departmental responsibilities of the Minister for Civil Society;
	(2)  whether he has any plans to introduce a statutory definition of a social enterprise.

Nick Hurd: The Government use the broad definition of social enterprise that was agreed by the sector, which is that:
	"Social enterprises are businesses with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners."
	Social enterprises can take a wide range of legal forms, including the Community Interest Company (CIC) form, which was custom made for social enterprises and is regulated by the CIC Regulator. As the definition of social enterprise is inclusive, and there exist legal forms specifically for social enterprises, there are no plans to introduce a statutory definition of social enterprise.

Third Sector: North-west England

Hazel Blears: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many charity or voluntary sector groups in the North West received funding from the Government in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) 2011.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Office does not hold information on Government funding to charity or voluntary sector groups by region.
	Information on central Government spend to the voluntary and charitable sector (including both grants and contracts) is available through Departmental Business Plans, published at:
	http://transparency.number10.gov.uk/transparency/srp/
	Latest figures for 2009-10 have been published by 11 central Government Departments to date, totalling £1.27 billion.

Voluntary Work: Older People

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to facilitate volunteering for older people; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: Promoting social action among all age groups, including volunteering, is a key part of the Government's vision for the big society. The Giving White Paper, published in May 2011, outlined a number of measures that will support the creation of a culture of giving both time and money. These include the following measures which relate to volunteering and all of which are open to older people:
	Over £40 million of funding over the next two years to support volunteering, giving and volunteering infrastructure by way of the Social Action Fund, Challenge Prizes and Local Infrastructure Fund. These funds have no upper age restrictions.
	£1 million to support Youthnet which runs the volunteering website
	www.do-it.org.uk
	Volunteering opportunities here do not have an upper age limit.
	£400,000 support from Government and NESTA to trial 'Spice' in England which gives volunteers 'thank yous' like vouchers or discounts with local businesses when they do good things for the community. There is no upper age restriction on this trial.
	Through the Social Action Fund, which launched in October 2010, we are seeking to fund programmes that encourage professionals who have retired, or are on the point of retirement, to use their experience and skills for community/public benefit.
	Finally as part of the national work programme for the European Year of Volunteering 2011 the Office for Civil Society provided Age UK with a grant to promote the role of volunteering in enabling active aging. Age UK have sought to explore the barriers to and benefits of older people volunteering. As a result they will publish guidance for the voluntary and community sector on how to enable older to people to take part in volunteering and benefit from it. This has been designed to lead into the European Year of Active Aging and Solidarity Between Generations in 2012.

Youth Services: Closures

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many letters he received on the closure of charity-run youth centres in England in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: I receive numerous correspondences that cover a wide range of topics. The information sought is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Procurement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years.

Bob Neill: The Department has outsourced the following services over the last five years:
	
		
			 Service Duration 
			 Total Facilities Management contract in Eland House 29 April 2004 to 28 April 2013 
			 Managed IT Services 9 February 2006 to 8 December 2013 
			 Payroll 6 August 2007 to 31 March 2013 
		
	
	Various project management outsourcing was conducted in each of the last five years mostly in the areas of minor construction and major fire related projects.

Fire Services

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what lessons have been learned from Exercise Watermark in respect of the fire and rescue service.

Bob Neill: A lessons learned report in respect of all organisations involved in Exercise Watermark, including the fire and rescue service, was published on 31 October 2011. It can be found at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/2011/10/31/pb13673-exercise-watermark/
	The Government intend to issue a formal response to the report by the end of March which will include consideration of recommendations in relation to the fire and rescue service. At the local level Local Resilience Forums will be considering how to take forward the report's recommendations and the fire and rescue service will be involved in these discussions.

Fire Services: Finance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether it is his policy to change the formula for allocating spending reductions to fire and rescue authorities in years three and four of the spending settlement to ensure that reductions are allocated on an equitable basis.

Bob Neill: I refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made earlier today by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government setting out the Government's response to the recent Local Government Resource Review consultation. I can assure you that I will seek to ensure that any new system is equitable.
	I also refer the right hon. Member to my letter of 6 December 2010 to the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House, which outlines how fire and rescue authorities can make sensible savings without impacting on the quality and breadth of services offered to their communities.

Homelessness: North-east England

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to measure the levels of (a) homelessness and (b) people living in temporary accommodation in the North East; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: Statutory homelessness statistics which includes households living in temporary accommodation, are published quarterly and can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
	We have acted decisively to introduce a more accurate assessment of rough sleeping. The flaws in the last Administration's rough sleeping counts, were widely recognised to systematically under-estimate the number of people sleeping on the streets.
	The latest rough sleeping statistics for autumn 2010 are also available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1845849.xls
	and indicates that the North East region had the lowest number of 49.
	Local authorities in this part of England have been allocated homelessness grant funding of £2,732,840 for 2011-12. This is an increase from their homelessness grant allocation of £2,140,600 in 2010-11.
	I recently announced a new £42.5 million Homelessness Change Programme which will provide in excess of 1,500 new and improved bed spaces to improve hostels for rough sleepers and ensure that those coming off the streets get the support they need. Local authorities in this part of England have been allocated £2,239,991 to deliver this important work.

Housing

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to balance an increase in supply of new housing with stabilisation of demand to enable the market to clear.

Grant Shapps: The Government recognise the importance of getting the housing market moving again. We have recently published ‘Laying the Foundations: A Housing Strategy for England’, which sets out our housing policies to tackle the particular problems currently being faced:
	Lenders are not lending enough—with high deposit requirements excluding young people and families from home ownership. Hence, we are promoting schemes such as Firstbuy, extending the right to buy and supporting a new and innovative new build indemnity scheme.
	Builders are not building—without consumers ready to buy, and without enough land for development or access to finance. Hence, we are promoting policies such as the £400 million Getting Britain Building investment fund, establishing a new £500 million Growing Places Fund which will support infrastructure for housing and economic growth and freeing up public sector land with capacity to deliver up to 100,000 new homes.
	These demand and supply measures aim to get the housing market—and in particular new house building—moving again. This is vital for our economic growth—but more importantly, it is essential to the hopes and plans of young people, families and older households across the country.

Land Use: Statistics

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has plans to change the frequency of publication of Land Use Change Statistics.

Bob Neill: The Government have no plans to change the frequency of publication of Land Use Change Statistics, which will continue as an annual statistical release.

Land Use: Statistics

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on including statistics on development of best and most versatile land in the Land Use Change Statistics.

Bob Neill: The Department is considering the inclusion of statistics on development of best and most versatile land in future releases of the Land Use Change Statistics. Statistics on the development of such land have previously appeared in the State of the Countryside report published by the Commission for Rural Communities in 2010.

Local Government Services

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to allow local authorities to trade in non-statutory services.

Bob Neill: Since 1970, local authorities have been able to trade with many other public bodies for the provision of various goods and services. The Local Government Act 2003 gave local authorities the power to trade commercially in function-related activities through a company, which has enabled trading by local authorities with private sector bodies. That Act also gave local authorities powers to charge for provision of discretionary services, that is those services that an authority has the power but not a duty to provide, on a cost recovery basis.
	With regard to charging and trading, the exercise of the new general power of competence in the Localism Act 2011 replicates the 2003 Act.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answers of 30 March 2010, Official Report, column 1137W, and 9 February 2010, Official Report, column 882W, on mortgages: Government assistance, how many households received financial support under the last Administration's Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme; and how much was paid from the public purse in support to property owners under the scheme during the period of its operation.

Grant Shapps: The two year Homeowners Mortgage Support scheme, introduced by the last Government, closed to new registrations in April 2011 with 62 households registered. To date, no payments have been made and no expenditure undertaken in relation to the Government guarantee.

Public Expenditure: Liverpool

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in his Department’s budget on (a) housing projects and (b) local government services in Liverpool in 2014-15.

Grant Shapps: The last Administration left the biggest budget deficit in our peacetime history—with the state forecast to borrow £146 billion a year in 2010-11, or £400 million being borrowed every single day. This was unsustainable. The coalition Government have taken steps to tackle this deficit, restoring market confidence. These measures will help eliminate the structural current deficit over the coming years. This will help keep interest rates down for home owners, restore economic stability and reduce the amount of taxpayers’ money that would otherwise be spent on debt interest.
	Within the agreed public spending envelope, we have taken steps to support house building, given the important contribution it makes to both economic growth and social mobility. This has included using departmental unallocated funding to support housing (e.g. the Growing Places Fund).
	We have also designed our housing policies to tackle the particular problems currently being faced in the housing market:
	Lenders are not lending enough—with high deposit requirements excluding young people and families from home ownership. Hence, we are promoting schemes such as Firstbuy, extending the right to buy and supporting a new and innovative new build indemnity scheme.
	Builders are not building—without consumers ready to buy, and without enough land for development or access to finance. Hence, we are promoting policies such as the Getting Britain Building investment fund and the Build Now, Pay Later programme for public sector land.
	Liverpool, in common with other parts of the country, has benefited from the Government’s decisions to:
	secure £6.5 billion investment for Supporting People—which equates to an average annual reduction over the four years of the spending review of less than 1% in cash terms;
	increase spending on disabled facilities grant over the spending review period, from £169 million in 2010-11 to £180 million in 2011-12, rising to £185 million in 2014-15;
	invest £400 million in homelessness prevention over the next four years. Liverpool was allocated homelessness grant funding of £600,000 for 2011-12. This is an increase from their homelessness grant allocation of £341,050 in 2010-11;
	invest £4.5 billion in new affordable housing, which is expected to deliver up to 170,000 affordable homes over the spending review period. Our new affordable rent model allows providers to lever more in private investment so we will be able to deliver more homes for every pound of subsidy from the taxpayer;
	invest £2.1 billion on Decent Homes to improve the condition of existing social housing;
	get formula grant to where it is needed most, with the relative needs weighting increased so that more money follows socio-economic indicators. This is more progressive than last year’s distribution. This targets resources at those councils who are the most dependent on central Government grant and the neediest by paying much more attention to the level of need in calculating the grant each area receives. For social services authorities and for shire district councils, we have grouped councils together in four bands, reflecting their relative reliance on central Government grant. We have used banded floors so that the most dependent authorities get the smallest reduction. Additionally, the transitional grant provides funding to limit losses. This funding is all going to the most deprived areas and is managing significant change such as the scheduled end of Working Neighbourhoods Fund. Liverpool has received £15 million in transition grant in 2011-12.

Public Lavatories

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what funding his Department has provided to local authorities for Changing Places toilets;
	(2)  which local authorities have taken part in the Changing Places campaign; and how many Changing Places toilets have been provided;
	(3)  what plans he has to amend planning regulations and guidance on the provision of sanitary facilities for people with complex and multiple disabilities;
	(4)  what discussions he has had with national and local disability organisations on the Changing Places campaign on disabled toilets.

Andrew Stunell: Formula grant is an unhypothecated block grant so local authorities are free to spend the grant on any service provided that they meet their statutory duties. For this reason, and due to the method of calculating formula grant, particularly floor damping, it is not possible to identify how much grant has been provided for any particular service. It is for local authorities to set their budgets according to the needs of their local community.
	We have no plans to amend planning regulations and guidance. However we set out in December 2010 our intention to consider whether there was a case for Government intervention to deliver better provision of Changing Places toilets including possible targeted regulation through the Building Regulations. We will be publishing early in the new year a consultation setting out our intended next steps.
	As part of this ongoing work officials met with representatives of the Changing Places Campaign and MENCAP on 3 February and 28 November 2011. A further meeting with both MENCAP and members of the Changing Places Consortium has been arranged for the 27 January 2012.
	Information on the Changing Places campaign, including which local authorities have indicated their support, and the current number of facilities in the UK can be found on the Changing Places website
	www.changing-places.org.

Supporting People Programme

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which voluntary and third sector organisations have made written representations to him on the Supporting People scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: Ministers have received a number of pieces of correspondence on this issue, encompassing a range of opinion from organisations across the sector including representative bodies, charities, housing associations and service providers.

Union of Good

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the representation of people listed by his Department as supporters of the Union of Good on bodies funded by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 15 December 2011
	My Department scrutinises all groups it funds to ensure that they and their representatives do not hold extremist views or support terrorist-related activity of any kind, in this country or overseas.
	With regard to the Union of Good, my Department holds no such list of supporters.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to respond to question 83268, on New Deal for Communities scheme, tabled on 22 November 2011 for answer on 25 November 2011.

Bob Neill: Parliamentary question 83268 was answered on 14 December 2011, Official Report, column 766W.

Youth Services: Closures

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many letters he received on the closure of youth centres in England in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: This information is not available. All departmental correspondence is logged and dealt with through the departmental central system. However, the system is not sufficiently sophisticated to extract the data requested.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Aluminium: Industry

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's policy is on support for the aluminium industry; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Government are taking action to support manufacturing, including the aluminium industry, through their encouragement of higher levels of innovation, exports, business investment and technical skills as well as cutting excessive red tape.
	As part of the autumn statement the Government also announced measures worth around £250 million to help our Energy Intensive Industries, including the aluminium industry, to reduce their energy bills. In addition, there will be a £1 billion increase in the Regional Growth Fund to help regional rebalancing, and on 6 December 2011 we launched a £125 million challenge fund to boost UK advanced manufacturing supply chains.

Bankruptcy: Insolvency

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to increase the number of (a) bankruptcy restriction orders and undertakings and (b) disqualification orders and undertakings obtained by the Insolvency Service.

Edward Davey: The number of Bankruptcy Restriction Orders, Disqualification Orders and undertakings obtained by the Insolvency Service is dependant upon the number of insolvencies prevailing at any particular time and the level of misconduct identified in those insolvencies. Planning assumptions are given in the Insolvency Service's corporate plan and outputs are given in the service's annual report and accounts. Planning assumptions for 2012-13 will be available in the corporate plan for that period when available.

Business: Competition

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what supply-side steps his Department is taking to ensure that British businesses remain economically competitive.

Mark Prisk: The Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative aims to help existing UK supply chains grow and achieve world class standards while encouraging major new suppliers to come and manufacture here. The new fund will support innovative projects in established UK advanced manufacturing sectors such as aerospace, automotive and chemicals. It will also target newer growth areas where the UK is well placed to take a global lead, such as energy renewables and other low carbon sectors. The competitive fund will invite applications early in the new year. Further information on criteria, funding and other arrangements concerning the initiative will also be available early in the new year.

Business: Corruption

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the provision of the Bribery Act 2010 on small and medium-sized enterprises.

Mark Prisk: The Bribery Act came into force on 1 July 2011. It is too soon to make an assessment of the effects it has had on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
	SMEs considering trading overseas can get free advice and guidance on how to combat bribery and corruption from the Business Anti-Corruption Portal:
	www.business-anti-corruption.com
	a website co-sponsored by my Department. UK Trade and Investment also provides advice for business on a number of topics including bribery and corruption on their Overseas Business Risk website:
	www.ukti.gov.uk/overseasbusinessrisk

Business: Government Assistance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises have received assistance from Government schemes in (a) Leicester South constituency, (b) Leicester, (c) Leicestershire, (d) the east midlands and (e) England in the last 18 months.

Mark Prisk: The Government's Solutions for Business portfolio sets out the range of publicly funded support designed to help businesses to identify and overcome key challenges as they grow. Available figures on the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) assisted are set out in the following tables:
	
		
			 Product Leicester South Leicester Leicestershire East midlands England Comment 
			 Manufacturing Advisory Service 88 196 561 2,139 14,000 Figures are April 2010 to 30 September 2011. 
			 Access to finance 36 69 249 1,105 12,751 These figures are for the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme only. 
			 Knowledge Transfer Partnerships n/a 6 7 20 237 Refers to new KTPs awarded to SMEs, not total number of SMEs assisted and so numbers are underestimated. 
			 Collaborative Research and Development product n/a 8 32 171 924 Refers to new grants awarded to SMEs, not total number of SMEs assisted and so numbers are underestimated. 
			 Grant for Research and Development product n/a 6 6 25 348 Refers to new grants awarded to SMEs, not total number of SMEs assisted and so numbers are underestimated. 
			 n/a = Figures not available Note: In some cases sub-national data are not available so national figures for England are provided. 
		
	
	
		
			 Product England Comment 
			 Rural Development Programme for England Business Support 21,000 Figures for 18 months up until June 2011. Majority of business supported are SMEs and micro enterprises. 
		
	
	
		
			 Helping Your Business Grow Internationally 21,894 Figures from April 2010 to March 2011 (including the two former Business Support Simplification Products) 
			 Work Place Training, Including Apprenticeships:   
			 2009-10 26,460 These are the number of SMEs supported with advice and grant funding for development activities through the Leadership and Management Programme. Apprenticeship data are not available 
			 2010-11 28,923 (1)— 
			    
			 Networking for Innovation n/a There 15 UK-wide Knowledge Transfer Networks on which collectively there are over 60,000+ members. 
			 n/a = Figures not available (1) Indicates brace 
		
	
	Figures for Understanding Finance, Improving Your Resource Efficiency, Designing Demand and High Growth Coaching for Growth are not available.
	In addition, the Government have funded a range of information and support which was delivered via the regional development agencies (RDAs) through the Business Link regional advisory service. East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA) the RDA covering the east midlands, have supplied the following figures for SMEs assisted by Business Link in the east midlands and the wider Business Link regional service across England in the last 18 months:
	Leicestershire: 26,648
	East midlands: 125,296
	England: 844, 293.

Company Accounts

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy that the level of fines imposed on small businesses for late filing of accounts with Companies House should reflect the annual turnover of that business.

Edward Davey: The level of fines imposed on companies for the late filing of accounts with Companies House is set in legislation, not policy, and depend on how late the accounts are when they reach Companies House. Neither the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, nor the Registrar of Companies can change the level of fines to reflect the annual turnover of the business incurring the fine.
	The level of fines was carefully reviewed by Parliament during the passage of the Companies Act 2006, and it decided to have two penalty scales; one for public companies and one for private companies. Apart from this, Parliament decided to make no distinction between companies based on their size or trading status.

Advisory Services

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what contribution his Department has made to the cross-Government review of advice funding announced in July 2011.

Edward Davey: BIS continues to support the advice sector through maintained funding of the national umbrella bodies for the Citizens Advice service in England, Wales and Scotland. We will be working with colleagues across Government on the review of advice funding led by Cabinet Office.

Departmental Manpower

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff in his Department are working on the Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: A Green Investment Bank team, which comprises 10 people, has been set up to manage the establishment of the bank and is supported by other areas of the Department such as legal and economic advice.

Departmental Manpower

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff in his Department have duties which involve liaising with the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Department of Energy and Climate Change work closely together across a wide range of policy and operational areas and so a considerable number of officials are involved in liaising with the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Departmental Manpower

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff in his Department are working in the UK Green Investments team.

Mark Prisk: We have made the first senior appointments to the UK Green Investments team, comprising eight people, and expect to make further appointments shortly.

Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many contracts his Department has advertised on the Contracts Finder website in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; what proportion was awarded to (a) third sector organisations and (b) small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: Following clarifications on system capabilities I can confirm that this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Company Directors: Disqualification

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many D1 reports on the required conduct of directors under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 have been received by the Insolvency Service; and how many directors were disqualified under this Act in each year from 2005-06 to 2010-11.

Edward Davey: The information is as follows.
	Disqualification orders and undertakings (section 2, 6 and 8 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 cases):
	2005-06: 1,173
	2006-07: 1,200
	2007-08: 1,145
	2008-09: 1,281
	2009-10: 1,102
	2010-11: 1,437.
	D1 reports received:
	2005-06: 3,675
	2006-07: 4,107
	2007-08: 3,991
	2008-09: 4,752
	2009-10: 7,030
	2010-11: 5,373.

Export Credits Guarantee Department: Finance

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration his Department has given to providing funding to the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) to ensure that new trade finance products offered by ECGD are marketed and accessible to small and medium sized enterprises.

Edward Davey: ECGD's operating costs are authorised through parliamentary vote, including the cost of its marketing services.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Chi Onwurah) on 9 November 2011, Official Report, column 377W.

Exports

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to increase exports to emerging markets; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has identified 20 priority high growth and emerging markets which we are encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to export to. These are: Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, and Vietnam.
	UKTI is encouraging SMEs to increase exports to these markets by:
	raising greater awareness amongst UK business of these markets through events like 'Doing Business in Asia', 'Journey through Latin America', and 'Partner Middle East' around the UK; and through the launch last week of a new campaign (announced by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague)), to encourage more British companies to export to Asia's high growth and emerging markets.
	communicating to SMEs the specific business opportunities in high growth and emerging markets through a programme of research, and via UKTI's network of teams in the UK and in these markets.
	launching a UK-ASEAN Business Council in November to help UK SMEs
	succeed in these markets, and to sit alongside the China-Britain Business Council and UK-India Business Councils.
	campaigning for better access for UK companies in these markets, including engaging in Government-to-Government trade dialogues, and also backing plans for ambitious EU free trade agreements with a number of these markets.
	ensuring there are targeted services and advice available for businesses considering these markets.
	To underpin this work, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, recently announced that UK Trade & Investment will double to 50,000 the number of companies it helps to export each year. A very substantial proportion of these will be trading with the top 20 high growth and emerging markets identified by UKTI. UKTI will plan to focus sufficient resources on these markets in order to deliver on this ambition.

Green Investment Bank

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills from what budgetary source the running costs of the Green Investment Bank will be paid.

Mark Prisk: We will establish an institution which is effective and affordable. We are still in the process of finalising the cost estimates. Reasonable running costs of the Green Investment Bank over the spending review period will be funded from BIS budgets.

Green Investment Bank

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Green Investment Bank will be a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Mark Prisk: This issue has not yet been finalised.

Green Investment Bank

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 December 2011, Official Report, columns 61-63WS, on the Green Investment Bank, what form of support will be provided by the Green Investment Bank for the Green Deal.

Mark Prisk: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills explained in his written statement of 12 December 2011, Official Report, columns 61-63WS, that support for the Green Deal will be one of the priority sectors in the spending review period to 2015-16. This applies to both the Green Investment Bank and UK Green Investment (UKGI). We expect to commence discussions shortly with potential providers of Green Deal finance. All investment decisions will be made against a double bottom line of green impact and financial return.

Green Investment Bank: Pay

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate has been made of the likely annual salary of the Green Investment Bank's chief executive officer; and what remuneration the board members of the Green Investment Bank are expected to receive;
	(2)  what the recruitment process will be for the Green Investment Bank's (a) chief executive officer and (b) other staff;
	(3)  whether the Green Investment Bank's staff will be paid annual performance-related bonuses.

Mark Prisk: The Green Investment Bank will be established as a Companies Act company following best practice corporate governance and operate at arm's length from Government. Odgers Berndtson has been retained to advise on recruitment strategy and remuneration levels relating to the Green Investment Bank. We will begin the formal recruitment process for the board and senior management team next month, with a view to appointing the Chair in spring 2012.

Green Investment Bank: Recruitment

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the recruitment process for UK Green Investments (a) staff and (b) fund managers will be.

Mark Prisk: BIS is committed to recruiting a high quality UK Green Investments team while ensuring that appointments provide value for money. The team is currently a mix of secondees and fixed term appointments.
	On 12 December UK Green Investments launched a call for expressions of interest from experienced fund managers in the waste infrastructure sector.

Higher Education

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many adults of each gender aged 24 and over took level 3 or higher qualifications in each further education establishment in the latest year for which figures are available.

John Hayes: holding answer 12 December 2011
	Table 1 shows the number of adult (aged 24+) learners participating on further education courses, Level 3 and above, in England by gender and provider type in 2009/10, the latest year for which final data are available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Adult (aged 24+) participation on level 3 and above further education courses by gender and provider type, 2009/10 
			 Participation Male Female All 
			 General Further Education College 106,880 175,810 282,700 
			 Other Public Funded 10,930 23,860 34,800 
			 Private Sector Public Funded 36,980 70,510 107,490 
		
	
	
		
			 Schools 100 380 470 
			 Sixth form college 1,070 4,110 5,180 
			 Special colleges 6,520 13,510 20,030 
			 Total further education—Level 3 and above 162,480 288,180 450,660 
			 Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Information in this table is based on all government-funded learners. 3. These data include Apprenticeships, Train to Gain, University for Industry, Adult Safeguarded Learning and Further Education/Learner Responsive Provision funding streams. 4. General further education colleges include Tertiary. 5. Special colleges include agricultural and horticultural colleges, art, design and performing arts colleges and specialist designated college. 6. Other public funded includes central Government Department, central Government NDPB, public corporations and trading funds, local education authority (LEA), social services, other local authority, police authority, fire authority, local authority dept, local authority, NHS-English foundation trust, NHS-English non foundation trust, NHS-other organisations, independent school or college, UFI directly funded hub, dance and drama school, external institution, higher education organisation, school sixth form (not college), special learning needs establishment, other public organisation, charitable, non-charitable, other voluntary organisation, LSC region, special college academy. 7. Private Sector Public Funded includes Community Interest Company, Company Incorporated by Royal Charter (England/Wales), Employer Association, Independent Association, Industrial/Provident (England/Wales), Limited Liability Partnership, Limited Partnership, PRI/LBG/NSC/S.30, PRI/LTD BY GUAR/NSC, Private Limited Company, Private Unlimited Company, Public Limited Company, Sole Trader, Trade Union, Chamber of Commerce/Trade, Organisation in Business in its own right, other private organisation, business link. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of learners participating in further education is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 27 October 2011:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statistical firstrelease/sfr_current

Higher Education: Admissions

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (a) what discussions he had and (b) what research was carried out before he decided to allow the unrestricted recruitment by universities of students achieving AAB and above; and if he will publish information relating to any such discussions and research carried out.

David Willetts: holding answer 8 December 2011
	The Higher Education (HE) White Paper Students at the Heart of the System published in June, included a proposal to allow institutions to compete freely for students with AAB+ or equivalent grades at 'A' level. This proposal aims to free up the current restrictive approach to allocating student places to Higher Education Institutions and allow more students to go to the institution of their choice. Alongside the HE White Paper an impact assessment of the proposals was published on the BIS website which includes modelling of that policy. This impact assessment is available at:
	http://discuss.bis.gov.uk/hereform/all-documents/
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) consulted over the summer on the operation of teaching funding and student number controls in 2012/13 which included the freeing up of restrictions on the recruitment of new entrants with AAB+ or equivalent grades at 'A' level. The outcomes from the consultation including responses are available on the HEFCE website at:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/learning/funding/201213/
	HEFCE is committed to monitoring closely the impacts of the new policy and will offer formal advice as soon as is practicable.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has any plans to allocate further funding to the Retrofit for the Future scheme.

Mark Prisk: The Retrofit for the Future programme is managed and delivered by the Technology Strategy Board, a BIS sponsored NDPB. The Technology Strategy Board is currently in the latter stages of a £17 million Retrofit for the Future competition which will see the retrofit of 115 homes to a target 80% carbon reduction and includes monitoring of the actual performance of the homes and reporting both the performance data and the practical construction findings through a number of channels including the Green Deal PAS2030 group.
	In addition, the Technology Strategy Board has a programme of work on non-domestic retrofit which includes the support of projects, through its Building Performance Evaluation competition, to monitor the in-use performance of new and retrofit buildings, providing a feedback loop to close the performance gap between designed and in-use performance.
	In terms of further activities, the Technology Strategy Board is currently in the final stages of offering £1 million worth of contracts to seven UK companies, who will be collaborating with European partners, to scale-up and product-ise the Retrofit process; delivering quicker and at lower cost.
	Further work will also involve the Technology Strategy Board working in collaboration with the UK Green Building Council to look at the demand side of Retrofit, including understanding the marketplace packages and offers that will trigger consumers to retrofit their homes and create business opportunities for the construction sector. In 2013/14, the Technology Strategy Board proposes to allocate a further £8 million of funding to support Retrofit projects, the exact scope of which will depend on the outcome of current activities and the needs of business and Government at the time.

Insolvency Service: Disclosure of Information

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many requests the Insolvency Service has received under the Data Protection Act 1998 to view D1 reports submitted by insolvency practitioners under the provisions of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, in each year since 1998.

Edward Davey: Statistics of recorded requests for D Reports under both the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 have been maintained by the Insolvency Service since 1 April 2005. No distinction is made between requests for a D1 or a D2 report so the following figures may include requests for each type of report.
	The figures are:
	2005-06: 26
	2006-07: 33
	2007-08: 4
	2008-09: 0
	2009-10:42
	2010-11: 105
	2011 to date: 89.

Investment Trusts: Environment Protection

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether UK Green Investments fund managers will be eligible for performance-related bonuses.

Mark Prisk: Proposed fee structures and levels will be taken into account when assessing potential fund managers.

Investment: Environment Protection

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the proposed £775 million funding for UK Green Investments in the next financial year will come from the £3 billion proposed to capitalise the Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: Investments made by UK Green Investments will be funded from the £775 million allocation for 2012/13 made available in the Budget, which is part of the £3 billion allocated to the bank. Assets built up by UK Green Investments will transfer to the Green Investment Bank when it becomes operational.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Local Nature Partnerships

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the involvement of local enterprise partnerships in the work of local nature partnerships.

Mark Prisk: Local enterprise partnerships will choose to work with partners on issues which align with economic and geographical priorities.

Manufacturing Industries: Finance

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the announcement of 6 December 2011 on the advanced manufacturing supply chain initiative, whether there is a closing date for applications to the fund.

Mark Prisk: It is expected that the initiative will be open for applications early in the new year. A closing date for applications will be set out when the full criteria for the initiative are published soon on the Technology Strategy Board website:
	www.innovateuk.org

Manufacturing Industries: Finance

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the announcement of 6 December 2011 on the advanced manufacturing supply chain initiative, which manufacturing sectors will be eligible for funding under the initiative.

Mark Prisk: The scheme is open to bids from all advanced manufacturing sectors including both established sectors such as aerospace, automotive and chemicals, and newer growth areas such as energy renewables with a focus on sectors where barriers to entry are high and there is minimal risk of any public support displacing activity that would happen in any case. Further details of eligibility will be set out soon when the full criteria for the initiative are published on the Technology Strategy Board website:
	www.innovateuk.org

Manufacturing Industries: Finance

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the announcement of 6 December 2011 on the advanced manufacturing supply chain initiative, when he expects monies to be distributed from the fund.

Mark Prisk: Distribution of funding under the initiative will depend in part on the spend profile of successful bids but it is expected that monies will start to be available before the end of the financial year.

Manufacturing Industries: Finance

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the announcement of 6 December 2011 on the advanced manufacturing supply chain initiative, how many firms he expects to receive funding under the scheme.

Mark Prisk: Up to £125 million is available under the initiative and a minimum bidding threshold of £2 million has been set in order to encourage projects of sufficient scale and depth to make a genuine competitive difference across supply chains. There is no restriction on the number of firms able to apply and small and medium enterprises and other supplier companies will be invited to work together where possible on project packages that together meet or exceed the bidding threshold.

Manufacturing Industries: Finance

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the announcement of 6 December 2011 on the advanced manufacturing supply chain initiative, what criteria he plans to use to assess applications made under the scheme.

Mark Prisk: Applications will be assessed by the Government's Technology Strategy Board which has a strong track record in supporting credible advanced manufacturing projects. Assessments will be based on the potential to leverage significant private investment; buy-in from the prime manufacturers at the top of the supply chains and potential to strengthen and provide better join-up across whole supply chains. Further details will be provided on the Technology Strategy Board's website shortly.
	www.innovateuk.org

Overseas Trade: Advisory Services

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the proposal by the British Chambers of Commerce to restructure the Overseas Market Introduction Service to a variable rate system depending on business size.

Mark Prisk: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Chi Onwurah) on 14 November 2011, Official Report, columns 629-30W.

Phoenix Companies

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to prevent companies, the directors of which have previously been convicted of fraud, from being resurrected as phoenix companies under the same management.

Edward Davey: A conviction for fraud against a director (even assuming that the fraud conviction relates to the person acting as a director of the relevant company) does not mean that the company of which s/he is a director is automatically closed after such a conviction.
	Limited companies are separate legal entities from those who run and own them. There is nothing in law to prevent a director of a company who may have been convicted of fraud from acting as a director of a company or from forming a new company to carry on a business similar to, or even identical to, that of any other company providing he has not been disqualified from acting in the management of a limited company and is not personally bankrupt.
	A criminal court may disqualify a director under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 at the time of a conviction for fraud. If a director has a conviction for fraud, and a company of which he is director subsequently enters formal insolvency, any misconduct may result in a disqualification which will prevent the director, without permission of the court, from acting as a director of any subsequent companies.

Post Offices

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many post offices in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland he expects to be converted into Post Office Locals.

Edward Davey: The Government's policy statement, “Securing the Post Office Network in the Digital Age” made clear that by the end of this Parliament over half the existing network of post offices will have been modernised, offering customers longer opening hours, shorter queues, and an enhanced retail environment. The Government expect around 2,000 branches to be converted to the new Post Office Local model by 2015 as part of this network transformation.
	The exact location of new Post Office Local branches is dependent on the suitability of the Local model to the location concerned, the views of existing sub-postmasters on how the model can assist their business going forward, and the requirement by Post Office Ltd to both maintain a network of at least 11,500 branches and to continue to comply with the strict access criteria whereby, for example, over 99% of the national population must be within three miles of a post office outlet.

Post Offices

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many Post Office Locals in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland he expects will operate on a part-time basis;
	(2)  where Post Office Locals are located in premises which are open 24 hours a day over what period he expects post office services to be available.

Edward Davey: The Government's policy statement, “Securing the Post Office Network in the Digital Age”, made clear that the Post Office Local model will provide improved post office opening times related to the hours that the retail shop is open. To date, there are over 130 Post Office Local pilot branches in operation.
	Findings from the pilot locations show that, on average, post office services provided through a Post Office Local branch have been available for around 35 more hours per week over and above traditional opening hours of Post Offices. This flexibility has been valued by customers, with over 20% of them conducting transactions outside traditional post office opening hours.

Post Offices

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills at which locations Post Office Local services have been trialled; and what feedback his Department has received.

Edward Davey: The Post Office Local model is currently being trialled in 134 locations across the country, with a further 38 planned by the end of the current financial year. This extensive piloting is enabling Post Office Ltd to comprehensively examine the model to make sure that it is fit for purpose in delivering a high quality customer experience, a reasonable return for the operator, and the long-term sustainability of the Post Office network.
	In October 2010, Post Office Ltd commissioned independent research into the pilots, which showed over 90% of customers are extremely or very satisfied with their overall experience of the Local model, with around 80% of customers greatly appreciating the longer opening hours. In May 2011, Consumer Focus published independent research that found that 83% of customers found the overall experience at a Post Office Local—when compared with any alternative post office—at least as good, with a majority (61%) saying that the overall experience at a Post Office Local was better than an alternative post office.

Post Offices

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether (a) large parcel services, (b) applications for driving licences, (c) applications for passports, (d) issue of car tax discs, (e) cash withdrawals using cash books and (f) payments of benefits and pensions will be available at post office locals.

Edward Davey: The availability of specific products is an operational matter for the Post Office and I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his proposed timetable is for the introduction of post office locals.

Edward Davey: The Government expect there to be around 2,000 post office locals by the end of this Parliament.

Post Offices

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many sub-postmasters in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland have applied to convert their post office to a post office local.

Edward Davey: The choice to seek to convert to the post office local model is for the individual sub-postmaster, and is voluntary. The exact location of new post office local branches is dependent on the suitability of the local model to the location concerned, the views of existing sub-postmaster on how the model can assist their business going forward, and the requirement by Post Office Ltd to both maintain a network of at least 11,500 branches and to continue to comply with the strict access criteria whereby, for example, over 99% of the national population must be within three miles of a post office outlet. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what arrangements will be put in place to provide post office services during the transition to post office local;
	(2)  what public information campaign his Department plans to conduct on service changes associated with the introduction of post office local.

Edward Davey: Decisions on how branches will be converted to the post office local model are an operational matter for the Post Office. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	However, the hon. Member should know that there is a code of practice in place, agreed between Post Office Ltd and Consumer Focus, which clearly sets out the steps that Post Office Ltd must follow to keep customers fully aware and to mitigate and minimise any disruption, where a sub-post office relocates to new premises.

Post Offices: Training

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether staff at Post Office locals will receive the same training as Post Office staff.

Edward Davey: Decisions relating to staff training for those operating Post Office local branches is an operational matter for the Post Office. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of Post Office Ltd. to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices: Vetting

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what security vetting will be undertaken of post office local staff.

Edward Davey: Arrangements relating to the security vetting of staff are an operational matter for the Post Office. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Regional Growth Fund: Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many higher education institutions participated in Regional Growth Fund bids in both rounds 1 and 2 which were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful.

John Hayes: Information on whether a project involved higher education institutions was not specifically requested from applicants. Based on the information received through the bids, 50 higher education institutions participated in Regional Growth Fund bids in both rounds. Of these, 18 were successful and 32 were unsuccessful.

Shipping: Southampton

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on businesses of the ability of the Port of Southampton to accommodate (a) Maersk Triple E Class and (b) other larger container ships.

Mark Prisk: The Department has made no assessment of the effect on businesses.

Trade Unions: Training

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding from (a) his Department, (b) the Skills Funding Agency and (c) the European Social Fund has been made available to fund courses included in the TUC education union professional development programme in 2011-12.

John Hayes: The Skills Funding Agency is responsible for funding post-19 further education (FE) and skills provision delivered through FE colleges and training organisations.
	Each academic year, FE colleges and training organisations receive a post-19 funding allocation at the programme level (for example budgets for adult skills, adult safeguarded learning and/or offender learning and skills). As funding is not allocated at the learning aim level the amount of money spent on TUC learning aims is not recorded centrally by the Skills Funding Agency.
	The following table provides information on 2009/10 academic year funding rates for learning aims offered through the TUC Education union professional development programme, and funded by the Skills Funding Agency.
	
		
			 Trade Union Council Education Union Professional Development Programme Learning aim title 2009/10 funding rate (£) 
			 Contemporary Trade Unionism (including diplomas) Diploma for Trade Union Representative - Contemporary Trade Unionism (QCF)—Level 2 2,254 
			  Diploma for Trade Union Representatives - Contemporary Trade Unionism (QCF)—Level 3 2,254 
			    
			 Employment Law (including Diplomas) TUC Employment Law - Level 2 (9 glh) 56 
			  TUC Employment Law - Level 3 (9 glh) 56 
			  TUC Employment Law - Level 2 (12 glh) 75 
			  TUC Employment Law - Level 3 (12 glh) 75 
			  TUC Employment Law - Level 2 (18 glh) 113 
			  TUC Employment Law - Level 3 (18 glh) 113 
			  TUC Employment Law - Level 2 (30 glh) 188 
			  TUC Employment Law - Level 3 (30 glh) 188 
			  TUC Employment Law - Level 2 (60 glh) 376 
			  TUC Employment Law - Level 3 (60 glh) 376 
			  Diploma for Trade Union Representatives - Employment Law (QCF)—Level 2 2,254 
			  Diploma for Trade Union Representatives - Employment Law (QCF)—Level 3 1,623 
			    
			 Equality TUC Equality - Level 2 (9 glh) 56 
			  TUC Equality - Level 3 (9 glh) 56 
			  TUC Equality - Level 2 (12 glh) 75 
			  TUC Equality - Level 3 (12 glh) 75 
			  TUC Equality - Level 2 (18 glh) 113 
			  TUC Equality - Level 3(18 glh) 113 
		
	
	
		
			  TUC Equality - Level 2 (30 glh) 188 
			  TUC Equality - Level 3 (30 glh) 188 
			  Diploma in Equalities for Trade Union Representatives - Level 3 (1)— 
			    
			 Pensions TUC Pensions - Level 2 (9 glh) 56 
			  TUC Pensions - Level 3 (9 glh) 56 
			  TUC Pensions - Level 2 (18 glh) 113 
			  TUC Pension - Level 3 (18 glh) 113 
			  TUC Pensions - Level 2 (30 glh) 188 
			  TUC Pensions - Level 3 (30 glh) 188 
			  TUC Pensions - Level 2 (60 glh) 376 
			  TUC Pensions - Level 3 (60 glh) 376 
			    
			 Organise! A Voice in Every Workplace TUC Work Organisation - Level 2 (9 glh) 56 
			  TUC Work Organisation - Level 3 (9 glh) 56 
			  TUC Work Organisation - Level 2 (12 glh) 75 
			  TUC Work Organisation - Level 3 (12 glh) 75 
			  TUC Work Organisation - Level 2 (18 glh) 113 
			  TUC Work Organisation - Level 3 (18 glh) 113 
			  TUC Work Organisation - Level 2 (30 glh) 188 
			  TUC Work Organisation - Level 3 (30 glh) 188 
			  Certificate for the Trade Union Organising Academy (QCF) - Level 3 (1)— 
			  Diploma in Trade Union Organising Academy (QCF) - Level 3 (1)— 
			  Certificate in TUC Organising Academy (Stage 2) (QCF) - Level 3 1,146 
			  Diploma in TUC Organising Academy (QCF) - Level 3 2,122 
			  Certificate in TUC Organising Academy (QCF) - Level 3 977 
			  Certificate in Organising and Recruitment for Trade Unions (QCF) - Level 3 933 
			  Diploma in Organising and Recruitment for Trade Unions (QCF) - Level 3 1,803 
			  Diploma in Organising and Recruitment for Trade Unions (QCF) - Level 2 1,966 
			 (1) Indicates a non-applicable funding rate. Notes: 1. Funding rates are rounded to the nearest whole value. 2. These data represent the funding rates of specific aim titles which relate to the title of the TUC Education Union Professional Development Programme courses. If courses listed in the Professional Development Programme are not included here, they are either not funded by the Skills Funding Agency or a learning aim that corresponds to the course title cannot be easily identified. 3. The funding rates represent the notional level of funding for a particular qualification. They do not necessarily represent the actual amount of funding paid to providers. This is because allocations are made at provider level based on aggregated data, so can not be disaggregated to qualification level. 4. Guided Learning Hours (glh) are defined as the total time a member of staff is present to give specific guidance towards the learning aim being studied on a programme. 5. For more information on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) please see the following link: http://qcf.skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/ Source: Skills Funding Agency data.

UK Green Investment Committee

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who the members of the UK Green Investments Committee are.

Mark Prisk: I have established an Investment Committee, including members of the Industrial Development Advisory Board, to advise me on investment proposals made by UK Green Investments. The Investment Committee, which will be chaired by Fred Maroudas, currently BAA Treasurer, will have members from both the private sector and government with expertise in project finance.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: Waiting Lists

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate his Department has made of average accident and emergency waiting times at (a) South London Healthcare NHS Trust, (b) Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust and (c) Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not collected in the format requested. The following table sets out the median time, in minutes, spent by patients in accident and emergency (A&E) departments at the three trusts. All figures shown are the latest available and are for the month of July 2011.
	
		
			 Minutes 
			 Trust Median 95th percentile 
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust 145 310 
			 Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust 126 236 
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 136 238 
			 Source: These data are published every month by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care on behalf of the Department of Health. The data extraction and analysis is done by Urgent and Emergency Care Team analysts in the Department of Health. This information is available from the NHS Information Centre's website at: www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/hospital-care/accident-and-emergency-hospital-episode-statistics-hes/provisional-accident-and-emergency-quality-indicators-for-england-experimental-statistics-by-provider-for-july-2011. 
		
	
	A&E Clinical Quality Indicators (CQIs) were announced and implemented from April 2011. These are a broad set of measures on A&E performance including patient experience and clinical outcomes as well as waiting times. The CQIs were developed with input from senior clinicians and other stakeholders and were designed to move away from the previous narrow focus on time spent in A&E.
	The median average is the middle value of a list of values sorted from lowest to highest and shows how long on average patients spend in A&E from arrival to discharge, admission or transfer. The 95th percentile is the waiting time for the 95th patient out of every 100, where patients are ordered from lowest waiting time (patient 1) to highest waiting time (patient 100). Therefore, 95% of patients have a waiting time equal to or below the 95th percentile.

Anti-depressants

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether anti-depressants are included in the review of policy on addiction to prescribed medication; and for what reasons.

Anne Milton: The Government’s Drugs Strategy seeks to tackle dependence on all drugs, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs. We are leading work to prevent and tackle addiction to prescribed and over-the-counter medicine, including anti-depressants.

Winter Deaths

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has held with (a) the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and (b) the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the contribution of energy-efficient housing to the Government's strategy to reduce excess winter deaths.

Anne Milton: The benefits of improved housing energy efficiency have been discussed by officials during development of the Cold Weather Plan and Warm Homes, Healthy People Fund.
	The Warm Homes, Healthy People Fund will support local authorities, working with their local community, the voluntary sector and statutory organisations in the coming winter to reduce the levels of death and morbidity which are due to vulnerable people living in cold housing.

Winter Deaths

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications for Warm Homes, Healthy People funding his Department has received from local authorities; and how many grants will be awarded.

Anne Milton: The Department has received 167 proposals for funding from top tier local authorities and departmental officials are currently sifting and examining the applications. We will be looking at the proposals and will decide which ones are suitable to be authorised.

Winter Deaths

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to provide Warm Homes Healthy People funding in (a) 2012, (b) 2013, (c) 2014 and (d) 2015; and what assessment he has made of whether in future years there should be an earlier closing date for applications.

Anne Milton: The Department continually examines all policies and will look at the effectiveness and success of the Cold Weather Plan, including Warm Homes, Healthy People fund, as part of that process. We will examine how effective the programme is in targeting help at the most vulnerable people in order to reduce death and morbidity this winter and in future years. Departmental officials will aim to ensure that adequate time is available for applications to be received and processed.

Dementia: Health Services

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect of his proposed reforms of the NHS on dementia care for the elderly.

Paul Burstow: Improving the quality of care for people with dementia and their carers is a priority for this Government. Last year we launched a new outcomes focused implementation plan for the National Dementia Strategy. This makes clear our commitment to accelerate the pace of improvement through a greater focus on local delivery and local accountability and empowering citizens to hold local organisations to account.

Food Procurement

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on food purchased through its food and catering services in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The Department has spent £501,676 on food and beverages in the year October 2010 to September 2011.

Official Hospitality

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on hospitality since May 2010.

Simon Burns: The Department has spent £785,510 on hospitality since May 2010. This figure includes that spent by arm’s length bodies and other sponsored visitors using the Department’s buildings.

Epilepsy: Health Services

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of whether the West Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group is following expert clinical opinion in its commissioning policy on vagus nerve stimulation for patients with refractive epilepsy.

Paul Burstow: Regional specialised commissioning groups are accountable to their primary care trusts on all matters of governance.

Health Services: Internet

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to promote access to online health care services for (a) patients and (b) informal carers and family members.

Simon Burns: Further to our public consultation on an Information Revolution for health and adult social care, the Department is working to publish the subsequent Information Strategy by April 2012. Access to online health care services for patients and other service users, as well as carers, is being considered as part of the development of the Information Strategy.

Health Services: Private Sector

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations that provide private healthcare services (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department has met since May 2010; and on what date each such meeting took place.

Simon Burns: Details of all ministerial meetings with external parties are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website. Data from 1 January 2010 up to the end of June 2011 can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/MinistersandDepartmentLeaders/Departmentdirectors/DH_110759

Health Services: Cold Weather

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effect that the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill will have on his Department's Cold Weather Plan.

Anne Milton: The Cold Weather Plan (CWP) sets out a series of actions to be taken by the national health service, social care and other public agencies; as well as by individuals and local communities, to minimise the effects of severe cold weather on health. The reforms in the Health and Social Care Bill should ensure that delivery of the CWP is more effective in the future.
	At a national level, the Secretary of State for Health, will have responsibility for the protection of health. In practice, Public Health England (PHE) will exercise these functions. PHE will bring together a fragmented system, strengthen the national response on health protection and support delivery across the three domains of public health through information, evidence, surveillance and professional leadership. PHE will have a key role in producing future CWPs and advising local organisations on implementation.
	At a local level, the Bill gives local authorities responsibility for setting up health and wellbeing boards which will strengthen the strategic co-ordination of services between local authorities and the NHS. Excess seasonal mortality planning at national level will be supported by PHE to complement delivery of services locally.

Herbal Medicine

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether (a) he and (b) his officials have met representatives of (i) Schwabe Pharma UK Ltd and (ii) the Safer Herbal Medicines Campaign in the last six months.

Simon Burns: Ministers and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have not held a meeting with the Safer Herbal Medicines Campaign or Schwabe Pharma UK in the last six months. MHRA has periodic meetings with representative bodies, including trade associations, from the herbal sector and such organisations will sometimes be represented by individuals from specific companies.

HIV Infection

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government plan to take to tackle HIV stigma; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Tackling the stigma that can be associated with HIV is very important. Men who have sex with men and people from Black African communities are most at risk from HIV and the Department funds organisations that produce innovative programmes of work to help tackle stigma directed towards these groups.
	The African Health Policy Network, through the Department's national HIV prevention programme has developed resources for Christian and Muslim faith leaders and African community based organisations. These faith toolkits are used to increase levels of awareness around HIV and to change perceptions of HIV and Africans in the United Kingdom.
	In addition, the Department's new Sexual Health Policy Framework planned for next year will consider how work can be undertaken at all levels to reduce and challenge HIV stigma.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average rate of incidence of (a) MRSA and (b) other hospital acquired infections was in each strategic health authority in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not available.
	The annual numbers of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections and Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) attributed to primary care organisations within each strategic health authority are provided for the periods for which they are available.
	
		
			 MRSA bloodstream infections attributed to primary care organisations by strategic health authority 
			 Number 
			 Strategic health authority April 2008 to March 2009 April 2009 to March 2010 April 2010 to March 2011 
			 East of England 242 167 122 
			 East midlands 209 157 102 
			 London 509 363 298 
			 North-east 181 81 64 
			 North-west 412 301 232 
			 South central 158 103 84 
			 South-east 263 174 135 
			 South-west 298 173 108 
			 West midlands 307 161 157 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 356 218 179 
		
	
	
		
			 Total reported C. difficile infections attributed to primary care organisations by strategic health authority 
			 Number 
			 Strategic health authority April 2007 to March 2008 April 2008 to March 2009 April 2009 to March 2010 April 2010 to March 2011 
			 East of England 5,764 2,916 2,378 1,784 
			 East midlands 4,166 2,783 2,201 1,906 
			 London 6,482 3,882 2,669 2,503 
			 North-east 3,229 2,598 1,799 1,191 
			 North-west 9,587 6,698 4,892 3,830 
			 South central 3,786 2,571 1,839 1,612 
			 South-east 4,235 2,667 1,839 1,699 
			 South-west 6,138 3,831 2,508 2,242 
			 West midlands 6,959 4,074 3,039 2,624 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 5,152 4,075 2,440 2,304 
			 Notes: 1. All included data cover financial years 2008-09 to 2010-11 for MRSA bloodstream infection and 2007-08 to 2010-11 for CDI. These are the time periods when it has been possible to estimate trust apportioned cases. Estimates of trust apportioned cases use patient location and specimen date and require patient level data. Collection of these data was introduced for MRSA and CDI in 2008 and 2007 respectively. 2. Data for methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli bacteremias are not provided as mandatory patient level surveillance only commenced in 2011 (January and June respectively) and full year data are not yet available. 3. Primary care organisation and SHA rates are not routinely produced. Source: Health Protection Agency's Healthcare Associated Infections Data Capture System on 21 April 2011.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidences of (a) MRSA and (b) other hospital acquired infections there have been in (i) Ipswich hospital, (ii) West Suffolk hospital, (iii) Suffolk Primary Care Trust and (iv) the East of England Strategic Health Authority since 1997.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not collected.
	Data available from 2008 for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections and from 2007 for Clostridium difficile (CDI) infections are given in the following tables.
	
		
			 Annual counts and rates (per 100,000 bed days) for MRSA bloodstream infections attributed to Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust and West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust 
			 NHS Trust April 2008 to March 2009 April 2009 to March 2010 April 2010 to March 2011 
			  Count Rate Count Rate Count Rate 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 3 1.6 5 2.6 1 0.5 
			 West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust 6 4.1 6 4.2 0 0.0 
		
	
	
		
			 MRSA bloodstream infections reports attributed to Suffolk Primary Care Trust (PCT) 
			  April 2008 to March 2009 April 2009 to March 2010 April 2010 to March 2011 
			 Suffolk PCT 29 20 9 
		
	
	
		
			 MRSA bloodstream infections reports attributed to the East of England Strategic Health Authority (SHA) 
			  April 2008 to March 2009 April 2009 to March 2010 April 2010 to March 2011 
			 East of England SHA 242 167 122 
		
	
	
		
			 Annual counts and rates (per 100,000 bed days) for Clostridium difficile reports for patients aged two and over attributed to Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust and West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust 
			  April 2007 to March 2008 April 2008 to March. 2009 April 2009 to March 2010 April 2010 to March 2011 
			  Count Rate Count Rate Count Rate Count Rate 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 252 135.3 129 71.2 66 38.4 49 28.5 
			 West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust 167 113.0 69 46.9 43 30.4 37 26.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Clostridium difficile reports attributed to the Suffolk PCT 
			  April 2007 to March 2008 April 2008 to March 2009 April 2009 to March 2010 April 2010 to March 2011 
			 Suffolk PCT 822 489 270 258 
		
	
	
		
			 Clostridium difficile reports attributed to the East of SHA 
			  April 2007 to March 2008 April 2008 to March 2009 April 2009 to March 2010 April 2010 to March 2011 
			 East of England SHA 5,764 2,916 2,378 1,784 
			 Notes: 1. All included data cover financial years 2008-09 to 2010-11 for MRSA bloodstream infection and 2007-08 to 2010-11 for CDI infections. These are the time periods when it has been possible to estimate trust apportioned cases. Estimates of trust apportioned cases use patient location and specimen date and require patient level data. Collection of these data was introduced for MRSA and CDI in 2008 and 2007 respectively. 2. Data for methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and E. Coli bacteraemias are not provided as mandatory patient level surveillance only commenced in 2011 (January and June respectively) and full year data are not yet available. 3. Primary care organisation and SHA rates are not routinely produced. Source: Health Protection Agency's Healthcare Associated Infections Data Capture System on 21 April 2011.

Mass Media

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2011, Official Report, column 417W, on mass media, how much his Department has spent on media monitoring in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The amount the Department’s media centre spent on media monitoring in each of the last five years is provided in the following tables.
	
		
			 Department of Health 
			 Financial year Spend on press cuttings (1)  (£) 
			 2006-07 186,726.95 
			 2007-08 130,126.92 
			 2008-09 119,180.72 
			 2009-10 133,055.81 
			 2010-11 120,185.79 
			 (1) The figures provided above are all inclusive of VAT. 
		
	
	
		
			 Department of Health 
			 Financial year Spend on media monitoring (£) 
			 2006-07 115,504.42 
			 2007-08 113,657.00 
			 2008-09 117,070.00 
			 2009-10 133,106.90 
			 2010-11 96,608.92 
		
	
	The figures for press cuttings and media monitoring from 2009-10 onwards also include spend for Connecting for Health, which joined the Department’s media centre from NHS Connecting for Health, following the merger of the media relations functions of the two organisations in April 2009.

Mental Health: Patients

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 have been released in each of the last five years.

Paul Burstow: The only central data collection on detention under the Mental Health Act 1983 (the Act) collects the number of uses of detention under the various sections of the Act each year. Therefore, the number of patients whose status has changed from detained to voluntary in each of the last five years has been provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Changes in legal status of patients detained under Mental Health Act 1983 and to an informal (voluntary) status in national health service facilities and independent hospitals, 2006-07 to 2010-11 
			 Number of changes in status 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 NHS facilities      
			 From short-term sections      
			 5(2) to informal 2,813 2,936 2,764 3,022 3,375 
			 5(4) to informal 364 332 366 485 531 
			 4 to informal 286 201 155 133 131 
			 136 to informal 4,406 4,939 6,236 9,211 10,753 
		
	
	
		
			 Other changes      
			 2 to informal 15,593 16,224 16,702: 18,335 19,226 
			 3 to informal 17,581 16,923 16,247 13,552 14,488 
			 35 to informal 53 65 58 38 29 
			 37 to informal 352 330 321 326 335 
			 NHS facilities total 41,448 41,950 42,849 45,102 48,868 
			       
			 Independent hospitals      
			 From short term sections      
			 5(2) to informal 57 67 68 56 57 
			 5(4) to informal 3 3 4 7 7 
			 4 to informal 0 0 1 2 0 
			 136 to informal 0 0 0 0 1 
			       
			 Other changes      
			 2 to informal 151 187 233 250 230 
			 3 to informal 241 249 276 279 248 
			 35 to informal 1 12 10 6 2 
			 37 to informal 23 20 18 22 19 
			 Independent hospitals total 476 538 610 622 564 
			       
			 All facilities total 41,924 42,488 43,459 45,724 49,432 
			 Note: The full KP90 publication is available here: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/inpatientdetmha1011 Source: Tables 6a and 6b from the Inpatient Reference Tables 1011, KP90 2010-11, The NHS Information Centre.

NHS Foundation Trusts: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure that Monitor properly exercises its role as a regulatory body in respect of NHS foundation trusts assessed as being at high financial risk; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Monitor is the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts and is directly accountable to Parliament. It was established in 2004 and its current powers of intervention, including the means by which finance is regulated and risk is assessed, are determined by section 52 of the NHS Act 2006. Giving NHS foundation trusts autonomy in how they operate to deliver responsive and locally shaped services is underpinned by this independent and proportionate regulatory model.

NHS Litigation Authority

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Cabinet Office on the mutualisation of the NHS Litigation Authority; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has for the mutualisation of the NHS Litigation Authority; whether those plans include proposals to ask doctors to take out individual insurance for legal expenses; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: There have been no discussions between the Department and Cabinet Office Ministers on this issue.
	Officials from the Cabinet Office and the Department held very limited and provisional discussions on the issue of possible mutualisation of the NHS Litigation Authority. Similar preliminary discussions were held between the Cabinet Office officials and the NHS Litigation Authority's senior management.
	There are no plans to mutualise the NHS Litigation Authority, and no plans for further discussions on the issue between the Department and the Cabinet Office.

NHS: Pay

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any (a) Chief Executives, (b) Chairs or (c) Board members of an NHS Trust in London are paid by means of payments to a limited company in lieu of a salary; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The arrangements for paying executive and non-executive directors in national health service trusts are matters for the trusts themselves and their independent remuneration committees. Trusts are required to disclose the remuneration of their board members in their annual accounts.

NHS: Private Patients

Richard Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of referrals to the NHS from private health providers being made via the patient's GP without any unconnected conditions having been identified during treatment.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not collected centrally.

NHS: Private Patients

Richard Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of NHS appointments that resulted from a referral to the NHS from private health providers being made via a GP, in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: Data relating to the number of national health service appointments that resulted from a referral to the NHS from private health providers being made via a general practitioner are not collected centrally.

NHS: Private Patients

Richard Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his Department's policy is on the referral of patients to the NHS from private health providers via a GP without any unconnected conditions having been identified during treatment; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations he has received on the practice of acute trust managers requiring referrals to the NHS from private health providers to be made via a GP when no unconnected conditions have been identified during treatment.

Simon Burns: Referrals to national health services where treatment will be funded by the NHS—other than for emergencies—should involve the patient's general practitioner. A trawl of the Department's correspondence database has not identified any representations on this matter.

Nurses: Standards

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to increase the standard of hospital nursing care.

Anne Milton: At the heart of the health care reforms is a focus on improving the quality and outcomes of health care for patients. One of the NHS Commissioning Board's roles will be to provide national leadership in driving up the quality of care. The board, along with clinical commissioning groups, will have a legal duty to secure continuous improvement in the quality of services and outcomes. The chief nursing officer will have a specific remit to improve the safety and people's experience of nursing care.
	There is a great deal of best practice guidance and resources in place that support the delivery of high quality, safe and effective care. The Energising for Excellence Framework being taken forward by the strategic health authority chief nurses, is a total quality approach to improving care. The ‘Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2012/13’ includes requirements to improve the care of older people and dignity and respect; a national Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) goal relating to the use of the safety thermometer will help focus commissioners and providers on reducing the harm from pressure ulcers, falls, catheter-related infections and blood clots.

Nutrition

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the research conducted by the Schools Health Education Unit on the number of women aged between 14 and 15 years who would like to lose weight; and if he will consider the implications of its findings for public health policy.

Anne Milton: The Department takes relevant research into account in developing public health policy and will consider the research by the Schools Health Education Unit.

Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions (a) he, (b) his Ministers and (c) officials in his Department have had with Monitor on the Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's financial deficit for 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health, discussed Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in a telephone conversation with the chairman of Monitor on 29 November 2011. The Department's Ministers have not had discussions with Monitor. Richard Douglas, Director General Policy, Strategy and Finance has regular contact with the chairman of Monitor and other Monitor officials and Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been part of those discussions. Meetings and telephone calls specifically to discuss the trust have been held on 6 October, 18 October, 25 October, 28 November and 8 December 2011. The later two were meetings attended by Richard Douglas and David Flory, deputy NHS chief executive. Sir David Nicholson, NHS chief executive discussed the trust with the chairman of Monitor on 6 December 2011.
	The independent regulator, Monitor, is working with the Peterborough and Stamford NHS Foundation Trust to ensure that the trust has a financial recovery plan and moves to a position where it will meet its terms of authorisation.

Rehabilitation Centres

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to develop and promote vocational rehabilitation services.

Maria Miller: I have been asked to reply.
	We have cross-Government programmes of activity to help working-age people with a health condition or disability remain in or return to work.
	Access to Work assists people with a disability or health condition to stay in work or start paid employment. Access to Work provides support towards the cost of equipment an individual needs at work; including a communicator at job interviews, adapting premises to meet an individual's needs, or paying a support worker. It can also pay towards the cost of getting to work if an individual cannot use public transport.
	The Health, Work and Wellbeing programme is a co-ordinated approach to health and employment issues, and includes action to support:
	Employers—support to deal effectively with health issues and sickness absence among employees, including Health, Work and Wellbeing Co-ordinators, occupational health advice services for small and medium-sized businesses and the Department of Health's Public Health Responsibility Deal Health at Work Network which aims to reinforce the positive link between health and work;
	Individuals—support to remain in or return to work when health issues arise, such as the case-managed multidisciplinary Fit for Work Service pilots. The Royal Colleges of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, of Psychiatry, and of Surgeons have developed, in partnership with my Department, guidance for individuals and healthcare professionals about returning to work following a surgical procedure or a period of mental ill health; and
	Healthcare Professionals—support for provision of good quality back-to-work advice to patients, such as the “fit note” which allows the GP to provide a greater focus on what people can do rather than what they cannot. In addition, the Royal College of General Practitioners has rolled out a programme of GP health and work training, following a successful pilot delivered in partnership with my Department.

Skin Cancer

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider including skin checks in the NHS Health Check for adults over the age of 40; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The NHS Health Check programme is a national public health programme for people in England aged 40 to 74. The purpose of the programme is to identify an individual's risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes, and for that risk to be managed through appropriate follow up. We continue to keep the components of the NHS Health Check under review but have no plans to include skin checks at this time.

Skin Cancer

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the long-term consequences and severity of skin damage caused by regular exposure to the sun;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on the primary causes of (a) non-melanoma and (b) malignant melanoma skin cancer; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to improve early diagnosis of conditions that are potential markers for skin cancer; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what information his Department holds on the cost to the NHS of treatment and management of (a) non-melanoma and (b) malignant melanoma skin cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The primary cause of both non-melanoma and malignant melanoma skin cancer is exposure to ultra-violet radiation from the sun or from artificial sources, such as sunbeds.
	In 2011-12, to provide information and advice to the public and health professionals, we have funded SunSmart, the national skin cancer prevention campaign. SunSmart activities have included producing and distributing educational materials, organising a schools campaign, providing support to local providers working on skin cancer prevention and a major targeted marketing campaign in conjunction with a popular music festival.
	The SunSmart website also provides additional information about how to reduce your risk of skin cancer as well as how to spot the symptoms of the disease at:
	www.sunsmart.org.uk
	Information on the causes of non-melanoma and malignant melanoma can also be found on the NHS Choices website at:
	www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cancer-of-the-skin/Pages/Causes.aspx
	and at
	www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Malignant-melanoma/Pages/Causes.aspx
	The Department has also published implementation guidance for local authorities on the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 and information for sunbed businesses. The purpose of the Act is to prevent those under 18 years from being allowed to use sunbeds in commercial premises.
	To support the national health service in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with skin cancer, in 2006 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published ‘Improving Outcomes for People with Skin Tumours Including Melanoma’. We have made it clear that this NICE guidance will continue to be a feature of all commissioned cancer services.
	The following table shows the estimated NHS expenditure on the treatment and management of skin cancer in England for financial years 2006-07 to 2010-11. This figure includes expenditure on both non-melanoma and malignant melanoma but it is not possible to break this figure down to identify expenditure on a particular type of skin cancer. It is also not currently possible to estimate expenditure on chemotherapy and radiotherapy by cancer type. Expenditure on these treatments is therefore included within the ‘Cancers and Tumour—Other’ category.
	In addition, expenditure on some services areas or activities is excluded if it is not possible to make a reasonable estimation of expenditure by specific disease area. For this reason expenditure on general practitioner (GP) services, diagnostics and some out-patient services are excluded from estimates of expenditure on cancers and tumours.
	Expenditure figures are from estimated England level programme budgeting data, which are calculated using primary care trust and strategic health authority programme budgeting returns and Department resource accounts data. Figures also include an estimation of special health authority expenditure.
	
		
			 Gross expenditure (£ billion) 
			 Programme budgeting category 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Cancers and tumours—Skin 0.10 0.11 0.10 0.11 0.12 
			 Cancers and tumours—Other 1.93 2.32 2.39 2.75 3.06 
		
	
	As part of our programme of work to deliver earlier diagnosis of cancer, to improve survival rates, a range of actions has been undertaken to support GPs in referring appropriate patients to secondary care. We are also in the process of considering further possible action to improve the public's awareness of the symptoms of the less common cancers.

Smoking: Motor Vehicles

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what targets he has set for the Tobacco Control Plan; whether a behaviour change plan has been produced to reduce smoking in cars around children; and what steps he plans to take to evaluate the effect of such a plan on parents’ behaviour;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to work with the national media to raise awareness of the risks in exposing children to second-hand smoke.

Anne Milton: The Tobacco Control Plan, published in March, sets out three national ambitions: to reduce adult (aged 18 or over) smoking prevalence in England to 18.5% or less by the end of 2015 (from 21.2%); to reduce rates of regular smoking among 15-year-olds in England to 12% or less (from 15%) by the end of 2015; and to reduce rates of smoking throughout pregnancy to 11% or less (from 14%) by the end of 2015 (measured at time of giving birth).
	The plan also includes a number of commitments to help drive down smoking rates and reduce the harms from tobacco over the next five years. These include the launch of a national marketing campaign, planned for spring 2012, to remind smokers of the risks of exposing children and adults to second-hand smoke so that they take action to make their homes and cars smokefree. We will evaluate the impact of the campaign on smokers’ behaviour.

Social Enterprises

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2011, Official Report, column 839W, on the public sector, when each of the 45 staff-led social enterprises was established; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Since its introduction in 2008, 40 social enterprises have been established under the right to request policy by national health service staff working in primary and community care.
	These social enterprises comprise approximately 10% of community staff and 11% of the community services budget. The following table lists the organisations and their go-live dates (as of 30 November 2011).
	
		
			 Right to request waves (1) 
			 First wave 
			 Trust Social enterprise Go live date 
			 North East Essex Anglian Community Enterprise Live: 1 January 2011 
			 Mid Essex Central Essex Community Services Live: 1 April 2011 
			 Bedfordshire Community Dental Services CIC Live: 4 April 2011 
			 Bedfordshire Sunnyhill Health Care CIC Live: 1 April 2011 
			 Norfolk Horizon Health CIC Live: 18 April 2011 
			 Leicester City Inclusion Healthcare Live: 1 September 2010 
			 Derby City Ripplez Live: 1 April 2011 
			 Bromley Bromley Healthcare Live: 1 April 2011 
			 Kingston Your Healthcare Live: 2 August 2010 
			 Salford Social Adventures Ltd Live: 1 April 2011 
			 Medway Medway Community Healthcare Live: 1 April 2011 
			 Hull City Health Care Partnership CIC Live: 1 June 2010 
			 Wakefield Spectrum Community Health Live: 1 April 2011 
			 NE Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus NAViGO Health and Social Care CIC Live: 1 April 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Second wave 
			 Trust Social enterprise Go live date 
			 Salford PCT Six Degrees Social Enterprise Live: 1 August 2011 
			 Bristol PCT (Bristol Community Health) Bristol Community Health CIC Live: 1 October 2011 
			 Devon Chime Audiology Live: 1 May 2011 
			 Swindon Care and Support Partnership (SEQOL—Social Enterprise Quality of Life) Live: 1 October 2011 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT John Taylor Hospice CIC Live: 1 October 2011 
			 NHS Bradford and Airedale (interpreting) Enable2 CIC Live: 1 October 2011 
			 North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus (NEL CTP) Care Plus Group (North East Lincolnshire) Ltd Live: 1 July 2011 
			 Rotherham Gateway Primary Care CIC Live: 1 April 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Third wave 
			 Trust Social enterprise Go live date 
			 Nottingham Nottingham CityCare Partnership Live: 1 April 2011 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney East Coast Community Healthcare CIC Live: 1 October 2011 
			 Hertfordshire Health Inclusion Matters CIC (trading as Meadowell) Live: 1 October 2011 
			 Luton CHUMS CIC Live: 17 June 2011 
			 Suffolk Allied Health Professionals Suffolk CIC Live: 1 July 2011 
			 Hillingdon The Orchard Medical Practice CIC Live: 1 November ,2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Tower Hamlets (wound healing) Accelerate Health CIC (Trading as Accelerate CIC Live: 1 November 2011 
			 Bolton Bolton Community Practice CIC Live: 1 April 2011 
			 Buckinghamshire The Healthy Living Centre CIC Live: 1 April 2011 
			 Isle of Wight The Phoenix Project Live: 1 June 2011 
			 Surrey First Community Health and Care CIC Live: 1 October 2011 
			 Bath and North East Somerset Sirona Health and Care CIC Live: 1 October 2011 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Peninsula Community Health CIC Live: 1 October 2011 
			 North Somerset North Somerset Community Partnership CIC Live: 1 October 2011 
			 Plymouth Plymouth Community Healthcare CIC Live: 1 October 2011 
			 Dudley Lymphcare UK Live: 2 November 2011 
			 Bradford and Airedale Bevan Healthcare CIC Live: 1 September 2011 
			 Kirklees Locala Community Partnerships CIC Live: 1 October 2011 
			 (1) Data accurate is as of 30 November 2011 and is subject to change.

Streptococcus

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance is issued to health care professionals on preventing group B streptococcal infection in newborn babies; and when this guidance was last updated;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on the number of cases of group B streptococcal infection in babies aged (a) zero to six days and (b) seven to 90 days in each constituent part of the UK since 2003.

Anne Milton: Current guidance for obstetricians, midwives and neonatologists is provided by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), which published its Green-top guideline No. 36 on the prevention of early-onset neonatal group B streptococcus disease in November 2003.
	Information on the number of cases of group B streptococcal infection in babies is not collected centrally by the Department. The following table sets out information published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on the number of laboratory-confirmed group B streptococcal bacteraemia reports submitted by laboratories in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The HPA does not collect data for Scotland.
	
		
			  0-6 days 7-90 days 
			  England Northern Ireland Wales England, Wales and Northern Ireland England Northern Ireland Wales England, Wales and Northern Ireland 
			 2010 271 17 14 302 181 9 14 204 
			 2009 246 11 10 267 182 . 13 9 204 
			 2008 262 11 6 279 177 7 7 191 
			 2007 235 13 10 258 148 7 8 163 
			 2006 221 10 17 248 145 8 8 161 
			 2005 187 9 11 207 121 3 7 131 
			 2004 189 11 7 207 93 3 8 104 
			 2003 (1)— (1)— (1)— 229 (1)— (1)— (1)— 111 
			 (1) Not available for every constituent country separately. Source: All data sourced from annual Commun Dis Rep/Health Protection Rep articles found on: www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/StreptococcalInfections/EpidemiologicalData/

Streptococcus

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received on group B streptococcus screening since May 2010.

Anne Milton: The Department receives representations periodically. A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database has identified 39 items of correspondence received since May 2010 about group B streptococcus (GBS) screening. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department's central correspondence team only. Two of the letters received were petitions of which one was specifically about GBS screening and was signed by 1,560 people. The other was about maternity care and was signed by 1,022 people.

Streptococcus

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned on the benefits of group B streptococcus testing in pregnancy in the last five years.

Simon Burns: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme has funded the following studies during the last five years:
	pre-natal screening and treatment strategies to prevent group B. streptococcal and other bacterial infections in early infancy: cost-effectiveness and expected value of information analyses; and
	rapid testing for group B streptococcus during labour: a test accuracy study with evaluation of acceptability and cost-effectiveness.
	Reports of these studies can be found on the HTA website at:
	www.hta.ac.uk/project/1473.asp
	and
	www.hta.ac.uk/project/1388.asp

Streptococcus

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department has collected on the effect of introducing group B streptococcus screening on levels of infection in babies in (a) the US, (b) Canada, (c) Australia, (d) France, (e) Italy, (f) Spain and (g) other countries.

Anne Milton: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
	As the UK NSC advise the Department on screening policy for group B streptococcus (GBS) in pregnancy the Department does not collect or hold data on GBS screening centrally.

JUSTICE

Departmental Expenditure: Christmas

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas events and (b) decorations at each of his Department's buildings in 2011.

Crispin Blunt: The Department and its agencies, Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service and the Office of the Public Guardian have not incurred any expenditure on Christmas events and decorations at any of their buildings in 2011. The small number of Christmas decorations which have been placed in reception areas have been recycled from previous years.
	In respect of the Department's other executive agency, the National Offender Management Service, no central records are maintained. To provide information on the amount spent on Christmas events and decorations in individual prisons would involve incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Department and its agencies do not fund Christmas parties for staff, although staff may personally contribute towards the cost of such events.

Civil Disorder

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of offenders convicted of crimes in relation to the public disorder in August 2011 had received an out-of-court disposal in relation to previous offences.

Crispin Blunt: Of those offenders convicted as of midday 12 October 2011 in relation to the public disorder of 6-9 August 2011 an estimated 57% (393) had at least one previous caution.
	More detail on the criminal history of individuals appearing before the court in relation to the public disorder can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/criminal-justice/public-disorder-august-11.htm
	As with any large-scale recording system the police national computer is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to announce the appointment of a new Victims' Commissioner.

Crispin Blunt: We are considering the future of the role.

Departmental Communications

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Kenneth Clarke: Staffing levels reflect the size and complexity of the Department and its public bodies and the need to communicate effectively on a wide range of issues and services
	The information required is set out in the following table and represents communication posts as at 1 November 2011. Roles which encompass more than one communications discipline have been placed in the most suitable category. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Press Office also handles media relations for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).
	
		
			 Department and its bodies Press officers Internal communication officers External communications officers Communications strategy officers Other positions with a comms remit 
			 Ministry of Justice 30 9 4 1 32.6 
			 National Offender Management Service 0 19 0 2 0 
			 Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service 2 6 3 0 0 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 0 2 1 1 1 
			 Legal Services Commission 2 3 3 0 5 
			 Victims' Commissioner 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Criminal Cases Review Commission 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Court Funds Office Legal Services Board 0 0 0 0 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Information Commissioner 3 1 3.5 0.5 3 
			 Office for Legal Complaints 1 0 0 1 1 
			 Judicial Communications Office 2 2 2 0 0 
			 Judicial Appointments Commission 0 0.5 0 2.5 0 
			 Youth Justice Board 2.8 1 0 1 4 
			 Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation—shared resource between both inspectorates 0.7 0 0 0 0 
			 Prisons and Probation Ombudsman 0 0 0 0 0.5 
			 Independent Monitoring Boards Secretariat 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Law Commission 0 0.5 0 0 0.7 
			 Parole Board 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Total 43.5 46 16.5 9 53.8 
		
	
	Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service was created on 1 April 2011.
	Unfortunately, the figures given in answer to PQ 38963 on 9 February 2011, Official Report, columns 242-44W, on the same subject did not include communication headcount for Law Commission and the Parole Board. Therefore we are issuing a correction to the table representing communication posts on 1 February 2011 in the MOJ as follows:
	
		
			 Department and its bodies Press officers Internal Communications officers External Communications officers Communications strategy officers Other  positions with a comms  remit 
			 Ministry of Justice 34 11 4 5 30 
			 National Offender Management Service 0 19 0 2 0 
			 Her Majesty's Courts Service 2 5 2 0 0 
			 Tribunals Service 0 3 0 0 7 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 0 2 0 1.5 1.5 
			 Legal Services Commission 3 3 6 0 5 
			 Victims' Commissioner 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Criminal Cases Review Commission 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Court Funds Office 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Legal Services Board 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Information Commissioner 2 0.6 7.2 0.5 0 
			 Office for Legal Complaints 0 1 1 1 1 
			 Judicial Communications Office 3 5 0 0 0 
			 Judicial Appointments Commission 0 0.5 0.5 0 3 
			 Youth Justice Board 3.8 0 0 0 7 
			 Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Prisons and Probation Ombudsman 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Independent Monitoring Boards Secretariat 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Law Commission 0 1 0 0 2 
			 Parole Board 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Total 48.8 53.1 20.7 11 64.5

Departmental Visits

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  which young offenders institutes (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have visited in the last 18 months; and on what dates such visits took place;
	(2)  which secure children's centres (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have visited in the last 18 months; and on what dates such visits took place;
	(3)  what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with organisations working with offenders who misuse alcohol and/or drugs in the last 18 months;
	(4)  what meetings (a) he and (b) his Department has had with the Child Brain Injury Trust in the last 18 months; what the dates were of those meetings; and which Ministers were present;
	(5)  with which organisations working with young offenders (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have had meetings in the last 18 months;
	(6)  which prisons (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have visited in the last 18 months; and on which dates.

Kenneth Clarke: Data on visits are set out in the following tables.
	My officials have provided a comprehensive list of organisations that Ministers have met, that work with young offenders or offenders who misuse alcohol and drugs, including probation trusts. Every effort has been made to ensure all relevant organisations have been included. The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly information which includes meetings Ministers have held with external organisations. This information can be found on the Ministry of Justice website on the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/moj/index.htm
	
		
			 Young offenders institutes 
			  Date of visit 
			 Crispin Blunt  
			 Feltham 7 June 2010 
			 Down View 16 July 2010 
			 Glen Parva 24 September 2010 
			 Moorland 11 November 2010 
			 Ashfield 3 August 2010 
			 Peterborough 10 September 2010 
			 Isis 27 January 2011 
			 Portland 27 July 2011 
			 Lancaster Farms 4 August 2011 
			   
			 Nick Herbert  
			 Feltham 18 November 2010 
		
	
	
		
			 Secure children's centres (1) 
			  Date of visit 
			 Kenneth Clarke  
			 Clayfields House secure children's home 14 October 2011 
			   
			 Crispin Blunt  
			 Medway secure training centre 25 June 2010 
			 Vinney Green secure children's home 3 August 2010 
			   
			 Lord McNally  
			 Medway secure training centre 30 September 2010 
			 (1) Officials have provided information on visits to secure children's homes and secure training centres. 
		
	
	
		
			 Meetings with organisations working with offenders who misuse alcohol and/or drugs (1) 
			  Date 
			 Kenneth Clarke  
			 St Giles Trust — 
			 Prison Reform Trust — 
			 Nottinghamshire Probation Trust visit 7 March 2011 
			 Changes Project at the Nottingham Women's Centre 6 May 2011 
			 Women's Justice Taskforce and Prison Reform Trust 5 December 2011 
			 Norfolk and Suffolk Probation Trust visit 5 December 2011 
			   
			 Crispin Blunt  
			 Surrey Youth Offending Team — 
		
	
	
		
			 Hammersmith and Fulham Youth Offending Team — 
			 Northern Ireland Restorative Justice — 
			 Lambeth Youth Offending Team — 
			 Youth Justice Service Managers Conference — 
			 Slough College — 
			 Howard League for Penal Reform — 
			 St Giles Trust — 
			 UNLOCK — 
			 NACRO — 
			 Green Pastures — 
			 Centre for Social Justice — 
			 Young Offender Academy and Natural Justice — 
			 NSPCC — 
			 Exeter Drugs project — 
			 Catch 22 — 
			 Tomorrow's Training Co. — 
			 Youth Support Service — 
			 Sova — 
			 Novas Scarman — 
			 Shelter — 
			 Safe Ground — 
			 Sainsbury's Centre for Mental Health — 
			 North East London NHS Trust — 
			 Children's Society — 
			 Prince's Trust — 
			 National Children's Bureau — 
			 User Voice — 
			 Start Here — 
			 Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoner's Trust — 
			 Prison Reform Trust — 
			 Corston Independent Funders Coalition — 
			 Homeless Link — 
			 Joseph Rowntree Foundation — 
			 ACEVO — 
			 PAPYRUS — 
			   
			 Probation visits:  
			 Thames Valley Probation Trust 29 July 2011 
			 Essex Probation Trust 30 July 2011 
			 Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust 4 August 2011 
			 Leicestershire and Rutland Probation Trust 23 September 2011 
			 Crewe Probation 14 October 2011 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Probation Trust 11 November 2011 
			 London Probation Trust 25 November 2011 
			 Avon and Somerset Probation Trust 11 February 2011 
			 West Mercia Probation Trust 10 March 2011 
			 West Midlands Probation Trust 11 March 2011 
			 Devon and Cornwall Probation Trust 24 March 2011 
			 Northamptonshire Probation Trust 6 May 2011 
			 West Yorkshire Probation Trust 12 May 2011 
			 Dorset Probation Trust 28 July 2011 
			 Cumbria Probation Trust 2 August 2011 
			 Lancashire Probation Trust 3 August 2011 
			 Norfolk and Suffolk Probation Trust 10 November 2011 
			 Greater Manchester Probation Trust 25 November 2011 
			 Merseyside Probation Trust 29 November 2011 
			 Northumbria Probation Trust 14 December 2011 
			   
		
	
	
		
			 Nick Herbert  
			 Prison Reform Trust — 
			   
			 Lord McNally  
			 Turning Point—Douglas House Project — 
			 London Probation Trust — 
			 Norfolk and Suffolk Probation Trust — 
			 Hertfordshire Probation Trust — 
			 (1) Officials have included visits and probation trusts 
		
	
	The Child Brain Injury Trust
	Ministers in my Department have not met with the Child Brain Injury Trust in the last 18 months. The Ministry of Justice does not centrally record meetings attended by all officials in the Department. To collate the information requested would exceed the cost limit for answering parliamentary questions.
	
		
			 Meetings with organisations working with young offenders (1) 
			  Date 
			 Kenneth Clarke  
			 St Giles Trust — 
			 Nottinghamshire Probation Trust visit 7 March 2011 
			   
			 Crispin Blunt  
			 Surrey Youth Offending Team — 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham Youth Offending Team — 
			 Northern Ireland Restorative Justice — 
			 Catch 22 — 
			 Lambeth Youth Offending Team — 
			 Youth Justice Service Managers Conference Slough College — 
			 Howard League for Penal Reform — 
			 St Giles Trust — 
			 UNLOCK — 
			 NACRO — 
			 Green Pastures — 
			 Centre for Social Justice — 
			 Young Offender Academy — 
			 Natural Justice — 
			 NSPCC — 
			 Exeter Drugs project — 
			 Catch 22 — 
			 Tomorrow's Training Co, — 
			 Youth Support Service — 
			 Sova — 
			 Novas Scarman — 
			 Shelter — 
			 Safe Ground — 
			 Sainsbury's Centre for Mental Health — 
			 North East London NHS Trust — 
			 Children's Society — 
			 Prince's Trust — 
			 National Children's Bureau — 
			 User Voice — 
			 Start Here — 
			 Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoner's Trust — 
			 Prison Reform Trust — 
			 Corston Independent Funders Coalition — 
			 Homeless Link — 
		
	
	
		
			 Joseph Rowntree Foundation — 
			 ACEVO — 
			 PAPYRUS — 
			   
			 Probation visits:  
			 Thames Valley Probation Trust 29 July 2011 
			 Essex Probation Trust 30 July 2011 
			 Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust 4 August 2011 
			 Leicestershire and Rutland Probation Trust 23 September 2011 
			 Crewe Probation 14October 2011 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Probation Trust 11 November 2011 
			 London Probation Trust 25 November 2011 
			 Avon and Somerset Probation Trust 11 February 2011 
			 West Mercia Probation Trust 10 March 2011 
			 West Midlands Probation Trust 11 March 2011 
			 Devon and Cornwall Probation Trust 24 March 2011 
			 Northamptonshire Probation Trust 6 May 2011 
			 West Yorkshire Probation 12 May 2011 
			 Dorset Probation Trust 28 July 2011 
			 Cumbria Probation Trust 2 August 2011 
			 Lancashire Probation Trust 3 August 2011 
			 Norfolk and Suffolk Probation Trust 10 November 2011 
			 Greater Manchester Probation Trust 25 November 2011 
			 Merseyside Probation Trust 29 November 2011 
			 Northumbria Probation Trust 14 November 2011 
			   
			 Lord McNally  
			 Foyer Federation — 
			 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists — 
			 UNLOCK — 
			 National Grid Young Offenders' Programme — 
			 (1) Officials have included visits and probation trusts. 
		
	
	
		
			 Prison visits 
			  Date 
			 Kenneth Clarke  
			 HMP Leeds 29 June 2010 
			 HMP Peterborough 9 September 2010 
			 HMP High Down 1 November 2010 
			 HMP Wormwood Scrubs 1 December 2010 
			 HMP Wandsworth 8 December 2010 
			 HMP Doncaster 14 January 2011 
			 HMP Preston 10 February 2011 
			 HMP Cardiff 12 July 2011 
			   
			 Crispin Blunt  
			 HMP Wormwood Scrubs 20 May 2010 
			 HMP Frankland 27 May 10 
			 HMP Coldingley 4 June 2010 
			 HMP Grendon 2 July 2010 
			 HMP Spring Hill 2 July 2010 
			 HMP Downview 16 July 10 
			 HMP Ford 4 August 2010 
			 HMP Pentonville 5 August 2010 
			 HMP Lowdham Grange 23 September 2010 
			 HMP Gartree 24 September 2010 
			 HMP Risley 14 October 2010 
			 HMP Thorn Cross 14 October 2010 
			 HMP Parc 4 November 2010 
			 HMP Usk 4 November 2010 
		
	
	
		
			 HMP Prescoed 5 November 2010 
			 HMP Swansea 5 November 2010 
			 HMP Cardiff 5 November 2010 
			 HMP Ford 2 January 2011 
			 HMP Belmarsh 27 January 2011 
			 HMP Belmarsh West 27 January 2011 
			 HMP Holloway 28 January 2011 
			 HMP Nottingham 1 February 2011 
			 HMP Bristol 11 February 2011 
			 HMP Brixton 14 March 2011 
			 HMP Exeter 24 March 2011 
			 HMP Dartmoor 25 March 2011 
			 HMP Channings Wood 25 March 2011 
			 HMP Wellingborough 6 May 2011 
			 HMP Newhall 11 May 2011 
			 HMP Wakefield 12 May 2011 
			 HMP Durham 19 May 2011 
			 HMP Woodhill 9 June 2011 
			 HMP Dorchester 27 July 2011 
			 HMP The Verne 27 July 2011 
			 HMP Kirkham 3 September 2011 
			 HMP Preston 3 September 2011 
			 HMP Elmley 17 November 2011 
			 HMP Swaleside 17 November 2011 
			 HMP Stanford Hill 17 November 2011 
			 HMP Wayland 11 November 2011 
			 HMP Liverpool 29 November 2011 
			 HMP Altcourse 29 November 2011 
			 HMP Gloucester 1 December 2011 
			 HMP Leyhill 2 December 2011 
			 HMP Eastwood Park 2 December 2011 
			 HMP Hull 16 December 2011 
			   
			 Nick Herbert  
			 HMP Hull 29 September 2010 
			 HMP Lewes 24 June 2011 
			   
			 Lord McNally  
			 HMP Highdown 3 June 2011 
			 HMP Holloway 21 July 2011 
			 HMP Norwich 26 July 2011 
			 HMP Swaleside 31 August 2011

Official Hospitality

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what receptions and events have been hosted by his Department since May 2010, including those sponsored by a third party.

Kenneth Clarke: The Department does not keep a central record of all the events and receptions that are hosted by Ministers and officials. This includes those events that are hosted by third parties on behalf of the Department and all events to support public consultations. To collate this information would incur disproportionate costs.
	The Department has previously released information about ministerial hospitality, which included events and receptions, for the period covering May 2010 to June 2011. I would direct the hon. Member to 23 June 2011, Official Report, columns 458-59W:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm110623/text/110623w0003.htm

Legal Opinion: Consumers

Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Government have assessed the potential effect of new forms of regulation of legal services on consumer protection.

Crispin Blunt: The licensing regime for alternative business structures (ABS) contained in the Legal Services Act 2007 became operational on 6 October 2011. The Act sets out numerous regulatory safeguards and consumer protections, including requiring all potential licensing authorities to demonstrate to the oversight regulator, the Legal Services Board, that they have robust procedures in place to regulate and monitor the bodies that they will license. Before a body is licensed, it has to meet the criteria set out in the rules and regulations of licensing authorities. In addition, every person working in an ABS firm must comply with licensing rules and licensing authorities may take disciplinary action for con-compliance.
	All consumer complaints about legal services arising from a traditional law firm or an ABS will be handled by the Legal Ombudsman in the first instance. An impact assessment was prepared specifically for the commencement of ABS. The Legal Services Board will monitor the impact, which is expected to realise over the next three to five years, and conduct a post- implementation review.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners were detained in prison (a) on remand and (b) having been found guilty in England and Wales on 1 January of each year between 1997 and 2011.

Crispin Blunt: Data are held centrally on the prison population on the last day of each month, so figures are not available for 1 January each year. Additionally, annual trends are typically compared using the 30 June figures for each year. The following table shows the number of foreign national prisoners by custody type as at 30 June of each year from 1997 to 2011. These figures are published annually in the Offender Management Statistics bulletin.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			 Foreign national prisoners, remand and sentenced population, England and Wales 
			 30 June  each year Untried Convicted unsentenced Immediate custodial sentence 
			 1997 738 168 3,250 
			 1998 814 271 3,546 
			 1999 760 272 3,864 
			 2000 880 259 3,919 
			 2001 905 389 4,576 
			 2002 966 457 5,607 
			 2003 1,150 532 6,281 
			 2004 1,284 575 6,256 
			 2005 1,496 775 6,509 
			 2006 1,532 862 7,284 
			 2007 1,747 718 7,488 
		
	
	
		
			 2008 1,654 754 7,682 
			 2009 1,711 674 7,502 
			 2010 1,739 760 7,706 
			 2011 1,757 605 7,516

Prisons: Security

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contingency arrangements his Department has put in place to minimise the risk of disturbances in the secure estate during the Christmas and new year period.

Crispin Blunt: During the week beginning 5 December 2011 governing governors of public prisons and directors of private prisons were requested to ensure that local contingency plans were reviewed ahead of major public holidays and that any significant changes be incorporated in those plans. These include the mobilisation of resources in response to incidents at other establishments. National command arrangements are in place to deal with any significant incidents over this period.

Public Protection Arrangements

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  for what serious further offences offenders subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements have been charged in each of the last five years; and what proportion of such charges resulted in (a) an out-of-court disposal, (b) a conviction in court, (c) an acquittal in court, (d) a custodial sentence and (e) a non-custodial sentence;
	(2)  what offences were committed by persons subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements in the last year for which figures are available; and in what proportion of cases the offender (a) was returned to custody and (b) remained in the community;
	(3)  how many offenders subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements have subsequently reoffended and been given an out-of-court disposal for such offences in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: Table 8 of the Ministry of Justice Statistics bulletin “Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2010-11”, which was published on 27 October 2011, provides information about offenders who were charged with a serious further offence while under probation supervision and while subject to the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA). MAPPA were established under section 325 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. This information includes those managed at Level 1 (ordinary agency management), and at Levels 2 and 3 (active multi-agency management). “Serious further offence” means murder or any of the offences specified in Schedule 15 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (except wounding with intent). The available information is shown as follows.
	
		
			 Offenders subject to MAPPA who were charged with a serious further offence 
			  Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total 
			 2005-06 — 50 12 — 
			 2006-07 — 69 13 — 
		
	
	
		
			 2007-08 — 72 7 — 
			 2008-09(1) — 40 8 — 
			 2009-10 162 31 3 196 
			 2010-11 108 23 3 134 
			 (1 )On 1 December 2008, Probation Circular 22/2008 introduced changes in the process for notification and the subsequent review of serious further offences. As a result, the figures for 2008-09 include cases before and after the changes and therefore are not directly comparable with the previous and subsequent year. 
		
	
	Information is not centrally available about (a) the number of offences, other than serious further offences, committed by offenders subject to MAPPA; (b) the particular offences (within the list of serious further offences as a whole) with which offenders were charged; or (c) the proportion of charges for these or other offences resulting in the different outcomes specified by my hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Priti Patel). The information could be obtained only by a manual search of the records held by all the local probation trusts and police forces of all the offenders made subject to MAPPA in the last five years. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Remand in Custody

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children he expects there to be in custody between 2011-12 and 2013-14.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice produces annual projections of the prison population in England and Wales, most recently in October 2011. These project the prison population under three different scenarios based on the impact of three different sentencing trends on custodial convictions (higher, medium and lower).
	The following table shows average monthly projected juvenile prison population for the financial years 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14.
	
		
			 Average projections juvenile prison population (financial year figures) 
			  Sentencing scenarios 
			  Medium Lower Higher 
			 2011-12 1,700 1,700 1,800 
			 2012-13 1,700 1,600 1,700 
			 2013-14 1,600 1,500 1,700 
			 Notes: 1.All figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. This population only includes those aged 15-17 in young offending institutions. Young people detained in secure children's homes or secure training centres are not included. 
		
	
	More details on the projections may be found in the latest published bulletin “Prison Population Projections 2011-2017” Ministry of Justice Statistics Bulletin, 27 October 2011. This is available at the following webpage:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/statistics-and-data/mojstats/prison-pop-projections-2011-17.pdf
	These projections take no account of any impacts which might result from the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill which is currently passing through Parliament:
	www.justice.gov.uk/publications/bills-and-acts/bills/legal-aid-and-sentencing-bill.htm
	As such these projections provide a set of “baseline” scenarios against which the impacts of future changes can be assessed. Other impacts included in the projections, such as those of the August 2011 public disorder events, changing legislation, changing procedures and new sentencing guidelines are applied equally to all three scenarios.

Reoffenders: Alternatives to Prosecution

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders subject to out-of-court disposals reoffended within (a) one month, (b) two months, (c) three months, (d) six months, (e) nine months and (f) one year or more of receiving that out-of-court disposal.

Crispin Blunt: Table 1 shows the proven reoffending rates for adults and juveniles who reoffended within one year of receiving an out-of-court disposal, (caution for adults and reprimand or final warning for juveniles) between January and December 2009.
	
		
			 Table 1:  Adult and Juvenile proven re-offending rates for offenders who received an out-of-court disposal in 2009 
			  Number of offenders Reoffending rate (percentage) 
			 Adult 211,892 17.6 
			 Juveniles 78,132 23.3 
		
	
	Proven reoffending is defined as any offence committed in a one year follow-up period and receiving a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow-up. Following this one year period, a further six months is allowed for cases to progress through the courts.
	Reoffending rates for this group of offenders are not available for follow-up periods of less than one year. However the MOJ publishes the number of proven reoffences by month of offence which can be broken down by disposal. Table 2 shows the numbers of reoffences committed within one month, two months, three months, six months, nine months and one year for adults and juveniles who were subject to an out-of-court disposal between January and December 2009.
	
		
			 Table 2: Total number of reoffences within each number of months 
			 Months to reoffence Adults Juveniles 
			 1 14,994 6,007 
			 2 23,403 9,572 
			 3 31,356 13,085 
			 6 52,442 22,648 
			 9 71,120 32,112 
			 12 85,750 39,697 
			 Note: An offender can commit more than one reoffence so can therefore be counted more than once in the above breakdown. Adult offenders who received an out-of-court disposal in 2009 and reoffended, committed on average 2.3 reoffences each over 12 months.

Reoffenders: Crimes of Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the highest number of previous convictions for assault was for an individual convicted of an offence of assault without being sent to prison in each of the last three years; and how many offences that individual had committed in total at the point of sentence for that offence.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the highest number of previous convictions for common assault, for individuals convicted of this offence in the year 2008-10 who received a sentence other than immediate custody. It also shows their total number of previous cautions and convictions. Although these individuals did not go to prison for their index offence, two had previously been to prison for the same offence. The figure for 2008 is for a female whose first caution or conviction was in 2004 and who have never been sentenced to immediate custody. The figure for 2009 is for a male whose first caution or conviction was in 1997. The figure for 2010 is for a male whose first caution or conviction was in 1971. The sentencing guidelines for common assault provide for starting points of non-custodial sentences for all categories of case.
	These figures have been drawn from the police’s administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large-scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
	
		
			 Highest number of previous convictions for common assault, when convicted of this offence in England and Wales in the year 2008-10, and not going to prison 
			 Number of previous offences 
			  2008 2009 2010 
			 Previous conviction for common assault 33 37 32 
			 Previous cautions and convictions at time of conviction 68 122 315 
			 Previous immediate custodial sentences at time of conviction 0 25 133

Theft: Retail Trade

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on sentencing for shop theft; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: We have received no representations on sentencing for shop theft.

Young Offender Institutions: Injuries

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people the Youth Justice Board recorded as injured in each young offenders institute in each of the last eight years; how many injuries were recorded in total; how many were recorded as serious injuries; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The tables show the number of injuries recorded following incidents of restrictive physical interventions (RPIs), self-harm or assaults in under-18 young offender institutions (YOIs). Data are not collected centrally on accidental injuries. This information has been provided by the Youth Justice Board (YJB).
	Although the YJB is only responsible for placing 10 to 17-year-olds, to avoid disrupting their regimes, some 18-year-olds remain in under-18 YOIs if they only have a short period of their sentence left to serve.
	These data come from monthly returns from secure establishments to the YJB. Due to the way these data are collected it is not possible to tell if the same young people are involved in multiple incidents throughout the year. The YJB only began collecting the data centrally in 2007-08. Data for 2010-11 will be published in January 2012 with the release of the YJB Annual Statistics.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.
	
		
			 2007-08 
			 Under 18 Young Offenders Institutions (YOIs) RPI injuries RPI injuries recorded as serious injuries Self-harm injuries Self-harm injuries recorded as serious injuries Assault injuries Assault injuries recorded as serious injuries 
			 Ashfield 21 0 55 4 69 8 
			 Brinsford 41 0 62 1 5 1 
			 Castington 37 0 25 0 29 6 
			 Cookham Wood 0 0 2 0 1 1 
			 Downview 11 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Eastwood Park 0 0 116 0 2 0 
			 Feltham 18 0 113 2 53 5 
			 Feltham {Heron Unit) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Foston Hall 13 0 52 2 1 1 
			 Hindley 122 0 49 0 427 3 
			 Huntercombe 12 0 58 0 60 9 
			 Lancaster Farms 27 1 85 1 43 5 
			 New Hall 1 0 56 1 5 0 
			 Parc 29 0 25 2 20 1 
			 Stoke Heath 45 0 96 3 65 1 
			 Thorn Cross 0 0 4 0 7 0 
			 Warren Hill 23 0 14 1 55 5 
			 Warren Hill (Carlford Unit) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Werrington 19 0 33 0 63 4 
			 Wetherby—Keppel Unit 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wetherby 44 0 29 0 43 1 
			 Total 463 1 874 17 948 51 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 
			 Under 18 Young Offenders Institutions (YOIs) RPI injuries RPI injuries recorded as serious injuries Self-harm injuries Self-harm injuries recorded as serious injuries Assault injuries Assault injuries recorded as serious injuries 
			 Ashfield 7 0 22 0 49 5 
			 Brinsford 22 0 42 0 1 0 
			 Castington 17 2 23 0 19 1 
			 Cookham Wood 32 1 106 4 67 5 
			 Downview 0 0 33 0 2 1 
			 Eastwood Park 0 0 304 0 3 0 
			 Feltham 7 0 133 0 51 4 
			 Feltham (Heron Unit) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Foston Hall 2 0 29 0 0 0 
			 Hindley 114 1 102 0 68 1 
			 Huntercombe 184 0 92 1 193 0 
			 Lancaster Farms 24 0 24 0 31 1 
			 New Hall 2 0 89 6 1 1 
			 Parc 75 0 19 0 25 1 
			 Stoke Heath 43 0 173 3 24 0 
			 Thorn Cross 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Warren Hill 79 1 96 5 70 2 
			 Warren Hill (Carlford Unit) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Werrington 55 0 100 0 98 0 
			 Wetherby—Keppel Unit 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wetherby 41 0 82 2 57 3 
			 Total 704 5 1,469 21 759 25 
		
	
	
		
			 2009-10 
			 Under 18 Young Offenders Institutions (YOIs) RPI injuries RPI injuries recorded as serious injuries Self-harm injuries Self-harm injuries recorded as serious injuries Assault injuries Assault injuries recorded as serious injuries 
			 Ashfield 12 0 52 1 55 2 
			 Brinsford 5 0 37 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Castington 16 1 15 2 39 4 
			 Cookham Wood 42 3 77 2 42 1 
			 Downview 3 0 36 0 4 0 
			 Eastwood Park 4 0 32 0 2 0 
			 Feltham 58 1 129 0 69 0 
			 Feltham (Heron Unit) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Foston Hall 0 0 20 0 0 0 
			 Hindley 148 0 110 0 171 2 
			 Huntercombe 26 0 120 1 113 2 
			 Lancaster Farms 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 New Hall 0 0 38 0 0 0 
			 Parc 77 0 20 1 38 0 
			 Stoke Heath 10 0 103 2 22 0 
			 Thorn Cross 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Warren Hill 45 0 72 0 77 6 
			 Warren Hill (Carlford Unit) 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Werrington 56 1 72 0 65 1 
			 Wetherby—Keppel Unit 20 1 85 0 8 1 
			 Wetherby 70 0 116 3 54 2 
			 Total 592 7 1,134 12 760 21 
			 Notes: 1. Cookham Wood YOI closed as a female YOI in March 2008 and opened as a male YOI in May 2008. 2. Warren Hill (Carlford Unit) opened in November 2009. 3. Wetherby (Keppel Unit) opened in October 2009. 4. Lancaster Farms YOI closed in February 2009. 5. Thorn Cross YOI closed in March 2008. 6. Feltham (Heron Unit) opened in September 2009.

Young Offenders

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much each local authority in the north- east has contributed to the costs of its youth offending services from its Revenue Support Grant in each year since 2000-01.

Crispin Blunt: The following table presents the amount of funding that each youth offending team (YOT) in the north-east reported having received from their local authority in total, whether from the Revenue Support Grant or other funding, including staffing costs, payments in kind and other delegated funds, from 2002-03 to 2009-10. No figures were recorded before 2002-03. Figures for 2010-11 are not yet available and are scheduled for publication in January 2012 as part of the Youth Justice statistics.
	
		
			 YOT 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Darlington 260,564 268,380 403,382 352,054 463,429 486,055 511,646 537,355 
			 Durham 1,772,000 2,005,830 1,987,300 2,053,304 2,068,392 2,158,379 2,229,924 2,270,655 
			 Gateshead 378,000 472,000 522,300 531,000 499,000 499,000 1,253,706 1,302,669 
			 Hartlepool 555,586 540,344 557,753 571,953 666,807 724,614 746,558 643,709 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 749,257 782,540 794,090 603,460 823,170 1,026,270 1,274,120 1,360,520 
			 North Tyneside 421,977 467,689 479,330 535,620 581,932 615,265 526,599 558,468 
			 Northumberland 773,660 844,644 975,115 1,170,680 1,039,649 1,130,200 1,149,610 — 
			 South Tees 642,712 742,035 591,691 898,230 1,193,975 919,335 628,319 640,574 
			 South Tyneside 670,670 701,317 676,385 960,556 979,105 910,331 885,727 685,727 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 401,367 387,955 457,700 476,726 481,286 521,051 530,447 583,880 
			 Sunderland 1,781,000 1,910,200 2,002,000 1,521,429 1,602,061 1,986,739 2,071,974 2,193,433 
			 Total 8,406,793 9,122,934 9,447,246 9,675,014 10,398,806 10,977,439 11,808,630 10,976,990 
			 Notes : 1. No figure is available for Northumberland for 2009-10. 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time. 3. These figures were not collected prior to 2002-03.

Youth Custody

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children aged under 18 years in each age group were held in the secure estate on 30 November (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of children aged under 18 years by each age held in the secure estate for children and young people at the end of October for (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011.
	As the prison population fluctuates from month to month it is appropriate to compare the same months in year-on-year comparisons. As data for November 2011 are not yet available, October data for each year of interest are presented.
	These data are from the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and refer to secure training centres (STCs), secure children's homes (SCHs), and under 18 young offender institutions (YOIs).
	Please note that data for October 2010 and October 2011 are provisional. The final October 2010 figures will be presented in the 2010-11 Youth Justice Statistics publication on 26 January 2012. The final October 2011 figures will be presented in the 2011-12 Youth Justice Statistics publication.
	
		
			 The number of children aged under 18 years by each age held in the secure estate for children and young people at the end of October for (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011 
			 Age October 2009 October 2010 (1) October 2011 (1) 
			 11 0 1 0 
			 12 8 2 2 
			 13 24 19 15 
			 14 96 67 69 
			 15 319 249 260 
			 16 702 574 570 
			 17 1,379 1,083 1,105 
			 Total 2,528 1,995 2,021 
			 (1) These figures are provisional. The final October 2010 figures will be presented in the 2010-11 Youth Justice Statistics publication on 26 January 2012. The final October 2011 figures will be presented in the 2011-12 Youth Justice statistics publication Notes: 1. YJB data referring to secure training centres (STCs), secure children's homes (SCHs), and under 18 young offender institutions (YOIs). 2. As the prison population fluctuates from month to month it is appropriate to compare the same months in year-on-year comparisons. As data for November 2011 are not yet available, October data for each year of interest are presented. 3. Youth custodial data are published on a monthly basis; they are a monthly snapshot of the custodial population (taken on the last Friday of the month or first Friday of the following month depending on which is nearer to the actual month end). For October 2010, the total custody figure was taken from daily data supplied by establishments, with breakdowns scaled to the total. This is a standard calculation performed when there is a large discrepancy between the daily data supplied by the establishments and the central database (indicating that the central database has not yet been fully updated) in order to meet commitments to publish the data on a monthly basis. When data are finalised all figures are taken from the central database. 4. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

Youth Justice Reinvestment Pathfinder Initiative

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many expressions of interest he has received from local authorities for involvement in the Youth Justice Reinvestment Pathfinder initiative;
	(2)  for what reasons the Youth Justice Board chose to use the number of custody bed nights rather than custodial sentencing rates as the outcome measure for the Youth Justice Reinvestment Pathfinder initiative;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the record of bed nights used in custody by (a) legal basis for detention and (b) establishment for each local authority area in England and Wales between 2005-06 and 2009-10.

Crispin Blunt: The Youth Justice Board’s (YJB) Youth Reinvestment Pathfinder initiative aims to reduce levels of youth custody in England and Wales. The two-year project, which started in October 2011, gives authorities the freedom and flexibility to use the funding to commission and deliver their own responses to reduce levels of youth custody and youth reoffending in their area.
	The YJB received 13 formal expressions of interest for involvement in the initiative. These expressions of interest came from a mixture of individual local authorities and consortia of local authorities.
	The YJB counts the number of custody bed nights used by a young person for the initiative. The number of custody bed nights was chosen for the pilot as it was felt that it has a stronger relationship with the costs of custody than looking at the custodial sentencing rates. There are two reasons for this:
	The custodial sentencing rate does not take into account actual time spent in custody because of variation in sentence length. The bed night indicator (i.e. the number of nights in custody either remand or sentenced that a young person uses during a period) is a more accurate reflection of the number of people in custody over the period of interest and therefore the cost of custody.
	It incorporates both the remand population and custodial sentences. Looking at the number of sentences does not reflect the true costs of custody, as a proportion of the secure estate population are held on remand.
	A copy of the record of bed nights used in custody by (a) legal basis for detention and (b) sector for each local authority area in England and Wales between 2005-06 and 2009-10 will be deposited in the Library in due course. This will provide sector level rather than establishment information in order to avoid the risk of a young person being identified.

Youth Justice: North-east England

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much Youth Justice Board grant funding has been made available for youth offending (a) teams and (b) services in each local authority area in the north-east in each year since 2000-01, by project.

Crispin Blunt: This information is contained in two tables which have been deposited in the Library. The majority of Youth Justice Board funding in the north-east goes directly to youth offending teams. We have also included Youth Justice Board funding to secure children's homes in the region.